The Complete Poetry of Aimé Césaire

Author: Aimé Césaire

Translators: A. James Arnold and Clayton Eshleman

The Complete Poetry of Aimé Césaire gathers all of Césaire's celebrated verse into one bilingual edition. The French portion is comprised of newly established first editions of Césaire's poetic oeuvre, made available in French in 2014 under the title Poésie, Théâtre, Essais et Discours, edited by A. J. Arnold and an international team of specialists. To prepare the English translations, the translators started afresh from this French edition. Included here are translations of first editions of the poet's early work, prior to political interventions in the texts after 1955, revealing a new understanding of Césaire's aesthetic and political trajectory. A truly comprehensive picture of Césaire's poetry and poetics is made possible thanks to a thorough set of notes covering variants, historical and cultural references, and recurring figures and structures, as well as a scholarly introduction and a glossary. This book provides a new cornerstone for readers and scholars in 20th century poetry, African diasporic literature, and postcolonial studies.