Paroles: Selected Poems (City Lights Pocket Poets Series) (French Edition)

I thought this was all going to be in French, but it has the English in it also. That is fine if that is what you are looking for, but I was looking for something just in French.

I bought my first copy of this book in the '90s. I return to it often and many of the poems are firm favourites of mine. The translation by beat poet Ferlinghetti (sp?) is superb and many of the nuances of Prevert's wording come through with clarity and charm.Prevert never shrank away from hard or emotive subjects and reading his poems gives insight into who he was and the time in which he lived.I have found this book inspiring, clever, and above all a lesson in clarity of writing. He paints pictures in our minds with such simple words and phrases. Those pictures are often stark and bleak but nonetheless as clear as if you could reach out and touch them.My favourite? I love this book so much I have two - 'Alicante' for it's romance and 'Lazy Morning' for it's reality.Can't recommend this book more strongly to any one who, like me, has an emotional view on life and death but whose French is rudimentary.I used quotes from Paroles as chapter starts in one of my books (Farewell Bergerac) because the face of my MC in my head fitted well with pictures of Prevert that I have seen.

This City Lights Books edition of "Paroles" presents roughly half of the poems first published as a collection by the French poet Jacques Prevert in 1946. Each of the 40-plus poems is presented first in French and then in superb English translation by the American poet and critic Lawrence Ferlinghetti. In France, "Paroles" is a staple of public education, and in a survey conducted by "Le Monde" in 1999, it was listed as the 16th most memorable book of the 20th century. In the United States too it has a fine reputation and, in the original language, is widely used for French language tuition, being easily read from the intermediate level on up.Strains of romance and descriptive images, often linked to rain, impart a beauty to the poems in this collection, but the prevailing tone is influenced by the experience of a devastating war just concluded. There is as well a sense of alienation among people and a nihilism of spirit, so much so that I quite expected Edith Piaf to begin singing "Mais vous pleurez, Milord" as I concluded "Dejeuner du Matin" ("Breakfast"), one of my favorite of the collection's poems.

Arrived quickly, in great condition. This book is a gem. Every time I get a copy, inevitably end up gifting it away, it’s that special. There are so many precious poems in this small book. I am appreciating the labor of love translating this must have been.

I love this book, and the translations are pretty accurate. I wish that some of the translations were less literal and more visceral, but other than that it's a great collection of Jacques Prévert's works.

With his deceptive simplicity and word play, Prevert is not easy to translate. Ferlinghetti, himself a master of depths beneath the surface, is the right poet for the job; he brings Prevert to life in English.

A beautiful book of deceptively simple poems. It's often as close to taking a photo as words can get.

The book arrived in perfect as-new condition. I am enjoying Paroles -especially in the morning , outside with coffee. I am very happy.

This is a lovely readable book of poems. It's probably better if you know some French and can read the original poems, though the translations appear to be good. My favourite is "Quartier Libre", an anti-authority poem which makes me smile a lot. None of the poems are too long to be too daunting for someone like me who doesn't read a lot of poetry. I like Prevert's work a lot (was first introduced to it at secondary school). Some of his poems were set to music and sung by various singers including Edith Piaf. He was part of the Surrealist movement in France and was also a screenwriter eg for "Les Enfants du Paradis" (1945). Born 1900, died 1977.

Fascinating story behind this poetry collection "Paroles" by Jacques Prevert. The translator first came across his work on a paper tablecloth in France in 1944 and was so inspired that when he returned to San Francisco he set about the translation and then publication of Prevert. This slim volume is one result of that chance meeting, with a choice of intriguing poems that can teeter on a fine line between sentiment and sentimentality. But they are certainly enough to prompt a reader to seek out more of his work.

I bought my first copy of this book in the '90s. I return to it often and many of the poems are firm favourites of mine. The translation by beat poet Ferlinghetti (sp?) is superb and many of the nuances of Prevert's wording come through with clarity and charm.Prevert never shrank away from hard or emotive subjects and reading his poems gives insight into who he was and the time in which he lived.I have found this book inspiring, clever, and above all a lesson in clarity of writing. He paints pictures in our minds with such simple words and phrases. Those pictures are often stark and bleak but nonetheless as clear as if you could reach out and touch them.My favourite? I love this book so much I have two - 'Alicante' for it's romance and 'Lazy Morning' for it's reality.Can't recommend this book more strongly to any one who, like me, has an emotional view on life and death but whose French is rudimentary.I used quotes from Paroles as chapter starts in one of my books (Farewell Bergerac) because the face of my MC in my head fitted well with pictures of Prevert that I have seen.

The content of this book is, of course, that of the French book `Paroles' and many of Prevert's better known poems are in it. Through them you can experience the atmosphere of post-war France and particularly of post-war Paris. If you want to savour this atmosphere further, try the Juliette Greco 4cd set called `La Belle Vie' where you will find some of these poems set to music. For Greco, a contemporary of Prevert, they were top hits in France and at least one was a hit in the UK.Prevert has always attracted English readers by his simple vocabulary and straightforward expression. Most English people who have studied French at all, certainly those who went as far as `A' level, will be able to read the original.Before the book arrived, (this version ordered for its size, it is a genuine pocket book that actually fits a normal pocket), it was the translation by Lawrence Ferlinghetti that intrigued me. Translations of poetry by poets are usually not all that happy. Too often the poet tries to write a new poem rather than be content with just translating. Even more worrying, Ferlinghetti was published in England alongside Gregory Corso and Allen Ginsberg in the Penguin book `Beat Poets'.But Ferlinghetti has done a good job in keeping the English words simple, the phrasing equally simple and by doing so has not only accurately conveyed the meaning of the original but also, perhaps more importantly, its mood. The translation is on the page facing the original and even the lineation is mostly retained. Where one would quarrel with his version is usually over a nit-picking matter of taste rather than of accuracy. That may be because he writes for an American audience. The translation is good.If you like poetry but do not know Prevert, this is a the place to start. It's like a Citroen, clever, quirky, very French - and enjoyable.

I am really pleased I made this purchase. It was the only publication I could find and although I thought it was a bit expensive for a paperback, it is pocket size which is useful and the translations are fantastic; not just French into English but also read like poetry. I am really enjoying it.