New Edition of Ezra Pound's Cantos Published by Flammarion

A new edition of Ezra Pound's 'The Cantos' has been released in France by Flammarion, in the 'Mille & une pages' collection. The book had been out of print for about ten years. This edition revises and expands the 1986 version, adding the Italian Cantos of 1944, the Ur-Cantos, a detailed chronology, and contributions from contemporary French poets. The five original translators—Jacques Darras, Yves di Manno, Philippe Mikriammos, Denis Roche, and François Sauzey—returned, with Mikriammos and di Manno revising their earlier work. The interview with Yves di Manno, poet, essayist, and translator, discusses the history of Pound translations in France, the innovative epic form of 'The Cantos', Pound's method of montage and ideogrammatic technique, his relationship with tradition, and his political extremism. Di Manno notes that Pound's work is characterized by fragmentation and analogy, and that the poem's beauty lies in its fragmented nature. He also reflects on Pound's influence on his own critical thinking rather than his writing.