Charting the Here of There: French & American Poetry in Translation in Literary Magazines, 1850-2002

Charting the Here of There contains a world of French-American exchange–a world governed by back-and-forth, double conciousness and the magic inherent in translation and mistranslation, as well as the fantastic, poetic mystery and possibility that comes out of this articulation “across the pond.” Writers Guy Bennett and Beatrice Mousli document the high points of this ongoing exchange as it has written itself on the pages of French and American literary magazines from 1850 letterpresses through present-day web-based publishing. The result is an impeccable overview of a production that testifies to the undeniable, often indefinable bond that joins French and American poetry. The authors survey the past 150 years of transatlantic contact, making the case that literary magazines have served as the telegraph/telephone/e-mail connection for a variety of literary dialogues, permitting, with relative speed and facility, the transmission of poetry and the poetic impulse. Charting the Here of There examines the ephemeral, periodic quality of the “little review” and how it has provided a unique forum for the sustained exchange of ideas that continue to inform the writing of French and American poets. This volume is a companion to the New York Public Library exhibition Reviews of Two Worlds: French-American Literary Periodicals, 1945-2000.