The Dice Cup

The Dice Cup is a significant prose-poem collection from the 20th century, published by Wakefield Press. Max Jacob's role in French modernity is essential, and this collection showcases his playful and subversive style, combining dream logic, allusion, transformed autobiography, and nonsensical parody. Jacob's personality and the poems are unstable and unfixed, reflecting the Cubist era's influence.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 17 December 2022
Publisher: Wakefield Press

The Dice Cup, a prose-poem collection that emerged as a pivotal work of the 20th century, has finally been made accessible to a broader audience through a trade publication. Max Jacobs' significant contribution to French modernity cannot be overstated, and with the publication of this second volume from Wakefield Press, his artistic legacy can now be thoroughly evaluated. Originally released in 1917, The Dice Cup stands alongside esteemed works such as Baudelaire's Paris Spleen, Rimbaud's Illuminations, and Pierre Reverdy's Prose Poems as one of the most influential and foundational books of prose poetry. While Jacob has often been labeled a "cubist poet," this collection defies simple categorization, as it encompasses a diverse range of styles and approaches. Dream accounts are rendered in playful prose that challenges the fabular tradition of Baudelaire and Mallarmé, as well as the Romantic disorder of Rimbaud. It subverts both poetic and narrative expectations, favoring dream logic, allusion, transformed autobiography, and nonsensical parody. The prose poems of The Dice Cup are meticulously crafted, yet they exhibit a sense of instability and fluidity akin to both Jacobs' personality and our own. Max Jacob, a multifaceted artist who excelled in poetry, painting, writing, and criticism, played a pivotal role in the bohemian Montmartre and Cubist movements. He forged close friendships with figures like Apollinaire, Modigliani, and Picasso, and his influence extended to Gris and Cocteau. Jacob's life was marked by significant transitions, including his conversion from Judaism to Christianity in 1915. Unfortunately, his artistic journey was cut short when he was arrested by the Gestapo in 1944 and died in a deportation camp due to pneumonia. In 2020, Rosanna Warren published a critically acclaimed biography that sheds light on the life and work of Max Jacob, further enhancing our understanding and appreciation of this remarkable artist.

Weight: 340g
Dimension: 201 x 135 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781939663863