Alain Veinstein's 'Scène tournante' Blends Poetry and Theater

Alain Veinstein's latest book 'Scène tournante' (published by Seuil in the Fiction & Cie collection) is a narrative in verse divided into six parts, structured like a theatrical play with stage directions. The work explores themes of repetition, solitude, and the search for identity, recurring motifs in Veinstein's oeuvre. The poet began his creative journey with painting before turning to writing, a shift documented in his early journals. Key influences include encounters with Yves Bonnefoy and André du Bouchet, and his first publication 'Répétition sur les amas' (Mercure de France, 1974). Veinstein also created the radio program 'Les Nuits magnétiques' on France Culture, where he interviewed over five thousand writers. The book's title refers to a revolving stage, symbolizing a frozen moment and the character's entrapment within four walls. The narrative repeatedly references a missing father and an absent mother, along with words like 'pelle' (shovel), 'murs' (walls), and 'seul' (alone). The character awaits the curtain rising, with three knocks punctuating the solitude. The text incorporates the poet's own reflections on language, aiming to subvert clichés and everyday phrases. A dossier on Veinstein appears in 'Le Cahier critique de Poésie' (n°23, Centre international de poésie, Marseille, 2012), featuring an interview with Jean Daive and texts by Pascal Quignard, Laure Adler, Yves Bonnefoy, and Jacqueline Risset.