Rosmarie Waldrop Livres

Rosmarie Waldrop's Curves to the Apple brings together three highly praised and influential titles: The Reproduction of Profiles, Lawn of Excluded Middle, and Reluctant Gravities. Though originally published separately, these prose poems have always been intended as a loose trilogy of thought and feelingor of thought manifested as feeling. The author comments: "Just as the title Curves to the Apple combines the organic and geometry (not to mention myth and history of science) the poems navigate the conflicting, but inextricable claims of body and mind, especially the female body and feelings in a space of logic and physics. The poems could all be called dialogic, reaching out across a synaptic (sometimes humorous) gap to a possible 'you' (though it may be rhetorical, another point of view in the same mind). But while the 'I' dominates the first two volumes, the third gives both voices equal space and chance."

The book offers a personal and insightful look into the life of a significant French writer through the perspective of his translator. It explores the nuances of the writer's work and character, highlighting the challenges and triumphs of translating his literary contributions. The narrative delves into the relationship between the writer and translator, revealing the deeper connections formed through language and interpretation.

A philosophical verse masterpiece that melds astrophysics with art and grief by the American maestra of the prose poem.

The protagonist's letters to her sister in Germany reveal a haunting exploration of her parents' lives, particularly how their "ordinary" existence contributed to Hitler's rise. The narrative delves into her father's latent anti-Semitism, exacerbated by her mother's affair with a Jewish man who faced persecution. As the story unfolds, a grim realization dawns upon the narrator: she and her sisters are echoing their mother's troubled sexual legacy, leading to a profound examination of family dynamics and historical complicity.

The latest book of prose poems by one of America's premier philosophical poets. For the title of her newest collection of prose poems, Rosmarie Waldrop adopts a term"blindsight" used by the neuroscientist Antonio R. Damasio to describe a condition in which a person actually sees more than he or she is consciously aware. "This is one reason," explains Waldrop, "for using collage: joining my fragments to other people's fragments in a dialogue, a net relation that might catch a bit more of the 'world.'" The collectionthe author's fourth with New Directionsis divided into four thematic sections. The first, "HÜlderlin Hybrids," resonates against the German poet's twisted syntax, while using rhythmic punctuation in counterpoint to sense. "'As Were,'" says Waldrop, "began with looking at the secondary occupations of artistsfor example, Mallarme teaching English, Montaigne serving as mayor of Bordeauxbut this soon gave way to playing more generally with particular aspects of historical figures." The title section, "Blindsight," is most consistent in its use of collage, juxtaposing words and images to jolting, epiphanic effect. "Cornell Boxes," in contrast, has a formal unity, inspired by the constructions of Joseph Cornell, each prose poem "box" composed in a structure of fours: four paragraphs of four sentences each, with four footnotes.

Exploring the interplay of time and perception, the narrative delves into the complexities of existence through the metaphor of a river. It reflects on the ephemeral nature of life and the impact of war, suggesting that our understanding of time is inherently flawed and shaped by our experiences. Waldrop's poetic language invites readers to contemplate the deeper meanings behind the passage of time and the scars it leaves on humanity.

The narrative intertwines the historical impact of the discovery of America with the transformative theories of relativity and quantum physics. Set against the backdrop of old Mexico and Washington, D.C., it reimagines Columbus as a figure who uncovers the unexpected particles of quantum physics. Through a blend of stream of consciousness, first-person narration, and poetry, the novel explores themes of love, politics, conquest, and tolerance, offering a profound meditation on the nature of change and otherness.

Exploring the relational dynamics of communication, Waldrop's latest collection employs wit to delve into the nuances of love and language. Through clever observations, she examines how pronouns shape our interactions and connections, highlighting the intricate interplay between personal relationships and discourse. This collection invites readers to reflect on the complexities of expressing affection and identity in a playful yet thoughtful manner.

Poet Rosmarie Waldrop’s classic novel about the horrors and banalities of German life between the World Wars. “Josef and Frederika Seifert made a bad marriage—he so metaphysical, she, furious frustrated singer, furious frustrated femme fatale, unfaithful within two months of the wedding day. The setting is small town Germany between the wars; the Seiferts are just those ‘ordinary people’ who helped Hitler rise, bequeathing their daughter, who tells their story, a legacy of grief and guilt. Rosmarie Waldrop’s haunting novel, superbly intelligent, evocative and strange, reverberates in the memory for a long time, a song for the dead, a judgment.” (Angela Carter)

«Das Proben der Symptome» zeigt Rosmarie Waldrop unvergleichlich fein und konzentriert in treffsicheren Sätzen. Ihre Kunst schenkt Motive und Wendungen, die das Herz wie mit dem Schraubenzieher umdrehen, zugleich vertraut und fremdelnd mit Welt wie mit Jenseits. «Alles Meta- physische,» schreibt sie, «lebt in der Grammatik», die Grammatik aber lebt im Körper, der Körper im Geist. Diese ménage à trois portraitiert sie hier in der guise von Symptomen, situiert in ihrem Leben, in Miniaturen, deren Statements alle Scharniere sind, Türen, Stimmen; wo die Wirklichkeit landen kann, mitten im Realismus, mitten in der Möglichkeit, mitten im gewissen, zeitoffenen Tod.