rejectomorph | (Reply)

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I'm not sure I understand Desnos, if by understand you mean that I could paraphrase his poem, saying what it means. I couldn't paraphrase Reverdy or very much of Mallarme or Prevert either, though I enjoy many works by each of them. I enjoy them for reasons other than those for which I enjoy more directly accessible poets such as, say, Dylan Thomas or W.C. Williams or Richard Wilbur. There is an engaging playfulness about the French moderns, along with something that's very disturbing. My reaction to Desnos in particular is much like my reaction to Miro's paintings, which always make me chuckle and then think that maybe I ought to look over my shoulder to see what scary thing might be sneaking up on me.