Pascal Boulanger's New Poetry Collection Examines Violence and the Sacred

Pascal Boulanger's poetry anthology, "Au commencement des douleurs," released by Éditions Corlevour, includes an insightful critique by Brigitte Donat, who identifies it as embodying the essence of "l'homme tragique" in Chestov's interpretation. This new collection extends Boulanger's historical perspective established in "Tacite" (2001) and "Le Lierre la Foudre" (2011), resonating with the eschatological themes found in St. Matthew. It significantly reinterprets the Bible, especially André Chouraqui's translation. The initial section presents vivid, bloody historical scenes marked by tragic-jubilant intensity, while the second part, "Les grandes épopées," examines the decline of the West from the Middle Ages to contemporary democracies. In "Contre monde," Boulanger pays tribute to historical beauty, enumerating a hundred titles, including "aux rituels anciens" and "au Christ tout neuf."