Stephane Mallarme (1856-1898) has often been called "untranslatable" by critics who attempt to reinterpret his French symbolist poems in English, and it wasn't until 1956 when another poet who shared affinities with Mallarme, Daisy Aldan, triumphed with her translation of his masterpiece, Un Coup De Des, which she self-published. It was perhaps one of the greatest achievements in the understanding of the poet who many describe as "the father of modernism." Aldan concentrated her efforts on his "verse poems," his beautifully crafted pieces whose visual images are often as important as their poetic ones, and To Purify the Words of the Tribe (taken from one of Mallarme's poems) is the result--and it also includes Un Coup de Des. It is regarded by academics and poetry lovers alike as the premier rendering of his works. Not only does Aldan give us her translations in this bilingual edition (with the French facing the English on opposite pages), she offers insightful interpretations of the poems in her expositions. This book is a must-have for any lover of French modernist poetry...Aldan's spiritual closeness with him offers readers the opportunity to appreciate a master who influenced Rimbaud and Verlaine, to name a few.

A bilingual collection of all of Stephane Mallarme's significant poems, including "Un Coup De Des," translated by Daisy Aldan with expositions