My country, tonight by Josue Guebo and translated by Todd Fredson

This is poetry from Cote D’Ivoire.

My country, tonight by Josue Guebo translated by Todd Fredson is published by Action Books. This is a Book originally written in French. This was published in 2016.0 and has the ISBN of 9.780900575907E12.

Josue Guebo’s My country, tonight, translated from French by Todd Fredson, feels like a book organized around country, night, civic pressure, and intimate address. That does not mean the poems should be treated as illustrations of a theme. Better to approach them as moments of speech, records of whatever made language necessary. For a reader new to this poet, I would suggest beginning with the first image that creates a physical reaction: surprise, discomfort, tenderness, recognition, even refusal. The translation brings poetry from poetry connected to Cote D’Ivoire into English while preserving the sense that some meanings should remain a little restless. My country, tonight belongs on the shelf because it trusts poetry to do more than explain. It lets language alter the room around the reader.

If you’d like to see international poetry continue and gain traction, consider requesting this work from your local library, or purchasing it from places like Open Books (a poetry only bookstore), Asterism Books (an independent press distributor), or bookshop.org to connect you with your local bookstores.

Check out more of the always in-progress translated poetry index here.