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implicushions's review against another edition
3.0
haven't heard many people talk about what love feels like in a way that hits so close to home as mr. cortazar. the middle didn't jive with me so much as the beginning, but it was interesting 95% of the read at least. i think i would've liked to hang out with this guy.
maitena_'s review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
maeclegg's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
leelulah's review against another edition
4.0
I wanted to give this 5 stars but I couldn't.
I think that I really loved it but some poems weren't as good as others.
It's still interesting, his fusion of avant garde with diverse languages and ways to conceive poetry, and that even in France his poetry becomes so familiar and at the same time, searching for that Rimbaud-like form.
Then again, rating poetry is almost impossible, given that in Cortázar's case there's some style interruptions.
I think that I really loved it but some poems weren't as good as others.
It's still interesting, his fusion of avant garde with diverse languages and ways to conceive poetry, and that even in France his poetry becomes so familiar and at the same time, searching for that Rimbaud-like form.
Then again, rating poetry is almost impossible, given that in Cortázar's case there's some style interruptions.
lauren_endnotes's review against another edition
5.0
Nearly every poem included annotations - where and when they were written, notes about readings and inspirations, and some texts/lines even inspired tangos, like the one above. How Argentine! It was interesting to observe (through these annotations) that many of my favorites in the collection were written while Cortazar was in Nairobi, Kenya in 1976.
This was a spectacular collection, published by City Lights as part of their Pocket Poets Series. It's a dual Spanish - English text.
This was a spectacular collection, published by City Lights as part of their Pocket Poets Series. It's a dual Spanish - English text.
jimmylorunning's review against another edition
4.0
Cortázar isn't known for his poetry, but his poetry is pretty good. This is a very charming, soft book. It has the childlike playful quality of his prose, and the rhythms of a dream, and can sometimes be endearingly simple without being simplistic.
Every day we're more, we who believe less
in so many things that made our lives more full,
Plato's or Goethe's highest, most indisputable values,
the word, its dove above history's ark,
the work's survival, the family line and our inheritance.
The translator notes in the preface that Cortázar wrote poems his whole life, but never published until the last year of his life. The result was a 339 page book of poems that he insisted be read in a random manner. He didn't want to impose an order to them at all. It's as if he feels uneasy calling it a finished product, to be appreciated in a certain way.
Which isn't to say we fall with the fervor of neophytes
for that science landing its robots on the moon;
the truth of the matter is it leaves us cold,
and if Dr. Barnard transplants a heart
we'd prefer a thousand times over that anyone's happiness
be the exact, essential reflection of life
until their irreplaceable heart might softly say enough.
He injects prose-pieces in the middle of the poems as well as "found graphics and amusing asides on the process of making his selection." Unfortunately for English readers, this has been edited into a 167 page bilingual edition (which means only half that amount of pages in English). I would have loved to see some of those found graphics, since I think that kind of playfulness is integral to appreciating Cortazar's unique aesthetic, but none of them have been included in this smaller version.
Every day we're more, we who believe less
in the utilization of humanism
for the stereophonic nirvana
of mandarins and esthetes.
Still, a lot of his personality comes through in these poems, not only because they are personal, but because the prose pieces put a refreshing light on his thought processes. Cortázar does not hide behind his art. I like to imagine him forever the way he is sitting on this book cover, completely absorbed in communication paw-wise, he looks so at home, so open and relaxed, as if he had just woken up from a long dream refreshed. Many of the poems have this feel too (the prose poem 'Background' about insomnia and dreams is fantastic).
Which doesn't mean
that when there's a moment's peace
we don't read Rilke, Plato or Verlaine,
or listen to the clear clarions,
or look at the trembling angels
of Angelico.
Incidentally, I just learned that his cats names are Calac and Polanco, which suddenly adds charm to those recurring characters who keep resurfacing and inserting their chit-chat in almost all his books.
Every day we're more, we who believe less
in so many things that made our lives more full,
Plato's or Goethe's highest, most indisputable values,
the word, its dove above history's ark,
the work's survival, the family line and our inheritance.
The translator notes in the preface that Cortázar wrote poems his whole life, but never published until the last year of his life. The result was a 339 page book of poems that he insisted be read in a random manner. He didn't want to impose an order to them at all. It's as if he feels uneasy calling it a finished product, to be appreciated in a certain way.
Which isn't to say we fall with the fervor of neophytes
for that science landing its robots on the moon;
the truth of the matter is it leaves us cold,
and if Dr. Barnard transplants a heart
we'd prefer a thousand times over that anyone's happiness
be the exact, essential reflection of life
until their irreplaceable heart might softly say enough.
He injects prose-pieces in the middle of the poems as well as "found graphics and amusing asides on the process of making his selection." Unfortunately for English readers, this has been edited into a 167 page bilingual edition (which means only half that amount of pages in English). I would have loved to see some of those found graphics, since I think that kind of playfulness is integral to appreciating Cortazar's unique aesthetic, but none of them have been included in this smaller version.
Every day we're more, we who believe less
in the utilization of humanism
for the stereophonic nirvana
of mandarins and esthetes.
Still, a lot of his personality comes through in these poems, not only because they are personal, but because the prose pieces put a refreshing light on his thought processes. Cortázar does not hide behind his art. I like to imagine him forever the way he is sitting on this book cover, completely absorbed in communication paw-wise, he looks so at home, so open and relaxed, as if he had just woken up from a long dream refreshed. Many of the poems have this feel too (the prose poem 'Background' about insomnia and dreams is fantastic).
Which doesn't mean
that when there's a moment's peace
we don't read Rilke, Plato or Verlaine,
or listen to the clear clarions,
or look at the trembling angels
of Angelico.
Incidentally, I just learned that his cats names are Calac and Polanco, which suddenly adds charm to those recurring characters who keep resurfacing and inserting their chit-chat in almost all his books.
ohyes's review
5.0
Poetry has wronged me so many times in the past. But I love Cortázar's approach to poetry and prose as something not necessarily meant to be "poetic" in that crappy, lofty metaphor filled jargon mannerism - but to be honest, simple, and human.
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