In Winter Light

A la lumiere d'hiver (1977) is a significant work by Philippe Jaccottet, bridging his early lyrics and later meditative work. Tim Dooley's translation captures the exploration of being in Jaccottet's French, reflecting the poet's hesitancies and circular movements.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 82 pages
Publication date: 21 October 2022
Publisher: Two Rivers Press

A la lumiere d'hiver (1977) stands as a pivotal masterpiece in the literary oeuvre of the Swiss French poet Philippe Jaccottet (1925-2021). Crafted during the middle years of his life, this work serves as a remarkable bridge between Jaccottet's intricate early lyrics and his more expansive and meditative later compositions. Beginning with a direct confrontation with the harsh realities of mortality, its three poem-sequences gradually strip away further layers of illusion, revealing a faint glimmer of meaning within the winter light of the picturesque Drome area of northern Provence, which was Jaccottet's home from 1953 until the end of his days. Tim Dooley's masterful translation, In Winter Light, emerges as the culmination of a longstanding relationship with the original text. Dooley's English rendition faithfully captures the tentative, meticulous exploration of being that he finds in Jaccottet's French, encompassing both the hesitations and circular movements inherent in the language, as well as its unflinching gaze.

Dimension: 210 x 135 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781909747999