Ardour

something like wait for me
in the braille of scars
tonight can i suggest a little punctuation
circle half-moon vertical line of astonishment
a pause that transforms
light and breathÂ
into language and threshold of fire

Even as vowels tremble in danger and worldly destruction repeats itself on the horizon, Ardour reminds us that the silence pulsing within us is also a language of connection. In these poems, intimacy with the other is another astonishment—a pleasant gasp, a “pause that transforms light and breath into language and threshold of fire.” Since her first book appeared fifty years ago, Nicole Brossard has left us breathless, expanding our notion of poetry and its possibilities.

‘[Nicole Brossard] is a wholly singular writer, part of a larger movement of Quebec Women’s writing, part of feminist writing,avant-garde writing, part of lesbian writing, but wholly, unequivocally, herself.’ – Sina Queyras

AUTHOR

Angela Carr

ANGELA CARR is the author of three previous poetry collections, including Here in There (shortlisted for the A. M. Klein Prize for Poetry), The Rose Concordance, and Ropewalk (shortlisted for the McAuslan First Book Prize). Angela has also translated poetry books by Nicole Brossard (Ardour) and Chantal Neveu (Coït). She studied Creative Writing and Literature at Concordia University in Montreal and later earned a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Montreal. She currently resides in New York City, where she teaches Literary Studies at the New School University.

Reviews

Nicole Brossard is ‘widely regarded as one of Canada’s best poets.’

– The New Yorker

‘Carr’s faithfulness to the author is clear and unwavering. Her skills as translator, as well as a poet, are evident throughout the collection, and every page breathes new, ardent life into Brossard’s work.’—Vallum Magazine

‘[Nicole Brossard] is a wholly singular writer, part of a larger movement of Quebec Women’s writing, part of feminist writing, avant-garde writing, part of lesbian writing, but wholly, unequivocally, herself.’ – Sina Queyras