Edmond Jabes
Encyclopedia
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Edmond Jabès ' onMouseout='HidePop("47814")' href="/topics/Cairo">Cairo
, 1912 – Paris
, January 2, 1991) was a Jewish writer and poet, and one of the best known literary figures to write in French after World War II
.
, where he received a classical French colonial education. He began publishing in French at an early age, and was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1952 for his literary accomplishments.
When Egypt expelled its Jewish population in 1956 (Suez Crisis
), Jabès fled to Paris, which he had first visited in the 1930s. There he rekindled friendships with the surrealists
although he was never formally a member of that group. He became a French citizen in 1967, the same year that he received the honor of being one of four French writers (alongside Sartre, Camus
, and Lévi-Strauss) to present his works at the World Exposition in Montreal
. Further accolades followed—the Prix des Critiques in 1972 and a commission as an officer in the Legion of Honor in 1986. In 1987, he received France's Grand National Prize for Poetry (Grand Prix national de la poésie). Jabès's cremation ceremony took place a few days after his death – at age 78 – at the cemetery of Père Lachaise.
– Jabès's primary English translator. They often featured references to Jewish mysticism and kabbalah
.
Edmond Jabès ' onMouseout='HidePop("47814")' href="/topics/Cairo">Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, 1912 – Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, January 2, 1991) was a Jewish writer and poet, and one of the best known literary figures to write in French after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Life
The son of a Jewish family, he was raised in EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, where he received a classical French colonial education. He began publishing in French at an early age, and was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1952 for his literary accomplishments.
When Egypt expelled its Jewish population in 1956 (Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
), Jabès fled to Paris, which he had first visited in the 1930s. There he rekindled friendships with the surrealists
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
although he was never formally a member of that group. He became a French citizen in 1967, the same year that he received the honor of being one of four French writers (alongside Sartre, Camus
Albert Camus
Albert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
, and Lévi-Strauss) to present his works at the World Exposition in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. Further accolades followed—the Prix des Critiques in 1972 and a commission as an officer in the Legion of Honor in 1986. In 1987, he received France's Grand National Prize for Poetry (Grand Prix national de la poésie). Jabès's cremation ceremony took place a few days after his death – at age 78 – at the cemetery of Père Lachaise.
Works
Jabès is best remembered for his books of poetry, often published in multi-volume cycles, at least fourteen volumes translated by Rosmarie WaldropRosmarie Waldrop
Rosmarie Waldrop is a contemporary American poet, translator and publisher. Born in Germany, she has lived in the United States since 1958. She has lived in Providence, Rhode Island since the late 1960s...
– Jabès's primary English translator. They often featured references to Jewish mysticism and kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
.
Family
Many of his family members still remain living in areas including Washington, D.C.; New York, NY; and locations all over the world. However, hardly any living family members still hold the Jabes family name.In English (Trans. Rosmarie Waldrop)
- The Book of Questions, Wesleyan University Press, 1976–1984
- I. The Book of Questions, 1976
- II / III. The Book of Yukel / Return to the Book, 1977
- IV / V / VI. Yaël, Elya, Aely, 1983
- VII. El, or the Last Book, 1984
- The Book of Dialogue, Wesleyan University Press, 1987
- The Book of Shares, Chicago UP, 1989
- The Book of Resemblances, Wesleyan University Press, 1990
- I. The Book of Resemblances, 1990
- II. Intimations The Desert, 1991
- III. The Ineffaceable The Unperceived, 1992
- From the Book to the Book [A Jabès Reader], Wesleyan UP, 1991
- A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of His Arm a Tiny Book, Wesleyan UP, 1993
- The Book of Margins, Chicago UP, 1993
- The Little Book of Unsuspected Subversion, Stanford University Press, 1996
- Desire for a Beginning Dread of One Single End, Granary Books, 2001
In English (By other translators)
- A Share of Ink, [Selected Short Poems] trans. Anthony Rudolf, Menard Press, 1979
- If There Were Anywhere But Desert; Selected Poems, trans. Keith WaldropKeith WaldropKeith Waldrop is the author of numerous books of poetry and prose, and has translated the work of Claude Royet-Journoud, Anne-Marie Albiach, and Edmond Jabès, among others. A recent translation is Charles Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal .With his wife Rosmarie Waldrop, he co-edits Burning Deck Press...
; "Introduction" by Paul Auster, "Afterword" by Robert DuncanRobert Duncan (poet)Robert Duncan was an American poet and a student of H.D. and the Western esoteric tradition who spent most of his career in and around San Francisco. Though associated with any number of literary traditions and schools, Duncan is often identified with the poets of the New American Poetry and Black...
, Station Hill Press, 1988 - From the Desert to the Book: Dialogues with Marcel Cohen, trans. Pierre JorisPierre JorisPierre Joris, born in Strasbourg, France in 1946 and raised in Ettelbruck, Luxembourg, is a poet and translator. He left Luxembourg at nineteen and since then has lived in the US, Great Britain, North Africa and France...
, Station Hill, 1990
Selected works on Jabès (In English)
- Paul AusterPaul AusterPaul Benjamin Auster is an American author known for works blending absurdism, existentialism, crime fiction and the search for identity and personal meaning in works such as The New York Trilogy , Moon Palace , The Music of Chance , The Book of Illusions and The Brooklyn Follies...
, "Interview with Edmond Jabès," Montemora, #6 (1979), reprinted in The Sin of the Book - —, "Book of the Dead," (1976), essay, published in The Art of Hunger
- Jacques DerridaJacques DerridaJacques Derrida was a French philosopher, born in French Algeria. He developed the critical theory known as deconstruction and his work has been labeled as post-structuralism and associated with postmodern philosophy...
, "Edmond Jabès and the Question of the Book", essay, published in Writing and Difference, Routledge, 2002 - Eric Gould, ed., The Sin of the Book: Edmond Jabès, University of Nebraska Press, 1985
- —, Studies in 20th Century Literature, 12, No.1: Edmond Jabès Issue (Fall 1987)
- Warren Motte Jr., Questioning Edmond Jabès, University of Nebraska Press, 1990
- Rosmarie Waldrop, Lavish Absence: Recalling and Rereading Edmond Jabès, Wesleyan University Press, 2002
- Jason Weiss, Writing at Risk: Interviews in Paris with Uncommon Writers, University of Iowa Press, 1991
- Mark RudmanMark RudmanMark Rudman is an American poet.He was Professor at Columbia University and New York University.He graduated from The New School with a BA, and from Columbia University with an MFA....
, "Questions about Questions," Diverse Voices, Story Line Press, 1992.
External links
- EPC Jabès Homepage @ the Electronic Poetry Center