Francis Ponge
Encyclopedia
Francis Jean Gaston Alfred Ponge (27 March 1899 - 6 August 1988) was a French
essayist and poet
. In many ways, he combined the two — essay and poem — into a single art form.
, France
, in 1899. He studied law
at Paris
and literature
at Strasbourg
. He worked as an editor and journalist in France during the First World War, made contacts with the Surrealist movement, and joined the Communist Party
in 1937, leaving the party after World War II
in 1947. After living briefly in Algeria
, he returned to France, where he held a professorship at the Alliance Française from 1952 until 1965. In 1974, he was awarded the Books Abroad/Neustadt International Prize for Literature, following a favorable article on his works by Sartre.
He died in 1988 in Le Bar-sur-Loup
.
(often translated The Voice of Things), he meticulously described common things such as oranges, potato
es and cigarettes in a poetic voice, but with a personal style and paragraph form (prose poem) much like an essay. These poems owe much to the work of the French Renaissance
poet Remy Belleau
.
Ponge avoided appeals to emotion and symbolism, and instead sought to minutely recreate the world of experience of everyday objects. His work is often associated with the philosophy of Phenomenology.
He described his own works as "a description-definition-literary artwork" which avoided both the drabness of a dictionary and the inadequacy of poetry.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
essayist and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
. In many ways, he combined the two — essay and poem — into a single art form.
Life
Francis Ponge was born in MontpellierMontpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, in 1899. He studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at 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...
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
at Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. He worked as an editor and journalist in France during the First World War, made contacts with the Surrealist movement, and joined the Communist Party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
in 1937, leaving the party 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...
in 1947. After living briefly in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, he returned to France, where he held a professorship at the Alliance Française from 1952 until 1965. In 1974, he was awarded the Books Abroad/Neustadt International Prize for Literature, following a favorable article on his works by Sartre.
He died in 1988 in Le Bar-sur-Loup
Le Bar-sur-Loup
Le Bar-sur-Loup is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Population:-Personalities:It was the birthplace of 18th-century Admiral François Joseph Paul de Grasse.-Sister city:...
.
Works
In his most famous work, Le parti pris des chosesLe parti pris des choses
Le parti pris des choses is a collection of 32 short to medium-length prose poems by French poet and essayist Francis Ponge first published in 1942...
(often translated The Voice of Things), he meticulously described common things such as oranges, potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es and cigarettes in a poetic voice, but with a personal style and paragraph form (prose poem) much like an essay. These poems owe much to the work of the French Renaissance
French Renaissance
French Renaissance is a recent term used to describe a cultural and artistic movement in France from the late 15th century to the early 17th century. It is associated with the pan-European Renaissance that many cultural historians believe originated in northern Italy in the fourteenth century...
poet Remy Belleau
Remy Belleau
Remy Belleau , was a poet of the French Renaissance. He is most known for his paradoxical poems of praise for simple things and his poems about precious stones....
.
Ponge avoided appeals to emotion and symbolism, and instead sought to minutely recreate the world of experience of everyday objects. His work is often associated with the philosophy of Phenomenology.
He described his own works as "a description-definition-literary artwork" which avoided both the drabness of a dictionary and the inadequacy of poetry.
Commentaries on Ponge
- 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...
, in his essay, "Psyche: Inventions of the Other," minutely analyzes Ponge's poem, "Fable." http://personales.ciudad.com.ar/Derrida/psyche.htm - 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...
, in his book Signeponge-Signsponge, English translation by Richard Rand, Columbia University Press, 1984. - Philippe SollersPhilippe SollersPhilippe Sollers is a French writer and critic. In 1960 he founded the avant garde journal Tel Quel , published by Seuil, which ran until 1982...
, in his essay Francis Ponge, Seghers éditions, Paris, 2001. - Annick Fritz-Smead, Francis Ponge: De l'Ecriture à l'Oeuvre, Peter Lang Publishing, 1997.
- Marco Nuti, Au Pays des Mots. Francis Ponge et l’inaperçu du réel, LED Edizioni Universitarie, Milano, 2009, ISBN 978-88-7916-417-7
External links
- http://www.ou.edu/worldlit/onlinemagazine/2006september/Sep06-16ponge.pdf'The Table' (excerpts), World Literature Today, September–October 2006, pp. 52–55.
- Preface to a Bestiary at fascicle.com
- An analysis of Ponge's works