Book record
My country, tonight
Josue Guebo
Translated from French by Todd Fredson
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.
- Published
- 2016
- Publisher
- Action Books
- Language
- French
- Country
- Cote D'Ivoire
- ISBN
- 9780900575907