Skip to content

Booksellers & Trade Customers: Sign up for online bulk buying at trade.atlanticbooks.com for wholesale discounts

Booksellers: Create Account on our B2B Portal for wholesale discounts

La Clarté Notre-Dame' and 'The Last Book of the Madrigals'

by Philippe Jaccottet
Sold out
Current price ₹1,495.00
Original price ₹1,609.00
Original price ₹1,609.00
Original price ₹1,609.00
(-7%)
₹1,495.00
Current price ₹1,495.00

Imported Edition - Ships in 12-14 Days

Free Shipping in India on orders above Rs. 500

Request Bulk Quantity Quote
+91
Book cover type: Hardcover
  • ISBN13: 9781803090610
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • Subject: N/A
  • Publisher: Seagull Books
  • Publisher Imprint: Seagull Books
  • Publication Date:
  • Pages: 104
  • Original Price: GBP 13.99
  • Language: English
  • Edition: N/A
  • Item Weight: 250 grams
  • BISAC Subject(s): European / French

The last works of the last great classic European poet now available in English.

In his 96th and final year, and with the help of the poet José-Flore Tappy, celebrated Swiss poet Philippe Jaccottet finished two manuscripts-in-progress, one in prose and one in poetry, both of which are presented in this volume in John Taylor's sensitive translation.

The first work, "La Clarté Notre-Dame," takes off from the "pure, weightless, fragile, yet crystal-clear tinkling" of a monastery bell heard during a walk with friends. With this thought-provoking sound as a leitmotiv, Jaccottet looks back on a life of writing, reading, and scrutinizing humankind's existential and spiritual aspirations. He sets these concerns against his equally lifelong preoccupation with "the rise of evil in today's world," notably in Syria. Composed in a baroque style, the verse poems collected in "The Last Book of Madrigals" explore love. Jaccottet returns in spirit to Italy, the country which for him symbolizes happiness and sensuality. As he evokes amorous attraction, he conjures up Monteverdi's madrigals, one of Dante's little-known rhymes, and Giuseppe Ungaretti's last poem. Reinventing and commenting on these works, Jaccottet meditates on old age, approaching death, despair, and the persistence of love.

Together, both works grapple with devastating darkness, but as Tappy observes in her afterword, however, Jaccottet's "greatest force" was "his perpetually renewed desire, during the most terrifying night, to head for the light."

Jaccottet, Philippe: - Born in Switzerland and a long-time resident of France, Philippe Jaccottet (1925-2021) is a celebrated European poet. In 2014, Jaccottet's collected writings were published in Gallimard's prestigious Pléiade series. He has been awarded several European literary prizes, including the Grand Prix Suisse de littérature, the highest Swiss literary distinction.

Taylor, John: - John Taylor has translated many key French, Swiss, Italian, and modern Greek writers. His translations include books by Philippe Jaccottet, Georges Perros, Catherine Colomb, and Pierre Chappuis, as well as Pascal Quignard's The Unsaddled and Dying of Thinking. Taylor is also the author of several books of poetry and poetic prose, including, most recently, What Comes from the Night.

Trusted for over 48 years

Family Owned Company

Secure Payment

All Major Credit Cards/Debit Cards/UPI & More Accepted

New & Authentic Products

India's Largest Distributor

Need Support?

Whatsapp Us