Selected Verse of Émile Nelligan: Québec's Great Lyric Poet

This is a good introduction to Nelligan, a poet I hadn't hitherto heard of, even living in Canada for the past few years. His story is, of course, tragic, and reminded me of the psychosis-prone artists I have known in my life, all fascinating creatures with spores of debilitating illness blooming amidst their mess. Are they great artists because of it, or in spite of it? The age-old question continues...

Allaby offers thorough notes and comments on the poetry he has translated, and I appreciated the brief introduction that was accessible for those completely in the dark about the author. Still, some editorializations made me wonder how much of this was simply a vanity project—an eyebrow raised a few times—as other translations into show more English exist and with fuller, more academic-minded contexts. I was a bit let down by the original French poems residing in the back of the book as opposed to them being published side-by-side well, which always makes it more difficult to assess the translation than it needs to be. Overall, a very fine work to read of Nelligan, though I would recommend supplementation by other critics and translators in tandem with this text. show less

I received a copy of this ebook as part of Library Thing Early Reviewers.
I was not familiar situations poet at all prior to receiving this copy. The introduction offers a wonderful history of the author and a foundation of information on which to hopefully appreciate the poetry and its context, particularly useful for novice Nelligan readers such as myself.
I appreciate how the introductory material did not romanticize the life and personal locations of the poet, addressing controversies in a direct manner and steering well clear of both idolatry and unfair criticism.
The poetry collection itself is a translation, and as such I suspect nuances have been lost in the translations(as often happens and is near impossible to avoid). The show more skill of the translator is especially impressive in poetry as many of the poems are sonnets and are thus limited in the translation not only by the confines of a new language but by a need for strict adherence to syllable structure. The notes and commentary that follow each poem in the collection attempt to mitigate these challenges and offer a much needed historical context as the poet made reference to many of his contemporaries which may be unknown to readers now.
The poems themselves are lovely, lyrical, and do rhyme (which is important to me)
The original source texts are included in the appendix for the curious French comprehenders and the photo gallery is delightful.
Overall I would say this is a good collection and a great introduction to one of Quebec's notable creatives. show less

I found this to be a fascinating book of translated poetry. The author / translator / compiler of this work clearly has strong feelings for Nelligan. Since he seems to be a writer more than a historian, he doesn’t get as caught up in what facts can and can’t be proved but instead elucidates the circumstances of the times and expounds on Nelligan's possible habits and motives.
The brief historical context at the beginning and photos at the end will help the reader develop their own sense of Nelligan and connection with his poetry.