French Literature Reviews - 2026
C. Dupouy, Guy Goffette. In Praise of Provincial Poetry
Poetry and Poetics
Review published in Acta Fabula (February 2023, vol. 24, no. 2) : "(Re)reading Guy Goffette's poetic texts through the prism of other works", by Eloïse Grommerch
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Christine Dupouy,
Guy Goffette. In Praise of Provincial Poetry
Hermann, 2021
Published on 21/07/2021
ISBN : 9791037008787 — 178 p.
Emerging on the literary scene around the turn of the 1980s, Guy Goffette established himself as a major figure in contemporary French poetry. Of Belgian origin, he published almost his entire body of work with Gallimard, which inducted him into its landmark "Poésie" collection as early as 1995 with Le Pêcheur d’eau, before publishing his best-known collection entitled Éloge pour une cuisine de province – originally published by Champ Vallon in 1988. Rejecting affiliation with what has been termed "new lyricism," this "poet of the everyday" – to use his own words – quickly drew critical attention: an afterword by Jacques Borel in 1988, a special issue of the journal Littératures in 2007, a 2012 collective volume edited by Jean-Michel Maulpoix, and an essay by Yves Leclair. Nevertheless, much ground remains to be explored, a task this volume aims to undertake by examining in turn the "kitchen" (cuisine), the poet's relationship with painting and music, as well as his prose writing. In addition to various contributions, the book features an interview with Guy Goffette, along with several previously unpublished poems and novel excerpts.
Featuring contributions by Béatrice Bonhomme, Serge Bourjea, Benoît Conort, Christine Dupouy, Claire Habig, and Marie Joqueviel-Bourjea.
The volume edited by Christine Dupouy contributes to a broader tradition of critical commentary surrounding contemporary French verse, situating Guy Goffette among figures who negotiate the boundaries between lyrical tradition and everyday experience. Emerging around the 1980s, Goffette developed a distinctive voice often discussed in relation to notions of provinciality and the ordinary, standing apart from contemporaneous movements such as the so-called new lyricism. Scholars and critics have frequently engaged with his trajectory, tracing his path from early publications with independent presses to his integration into established institutional collections like Gallimard's Poésie series.
This collection examines several interconnected dimensions of Goffette's artistic output, addressing his relationship with painting and music alongside the distinctive qualities of his prose and verse. In addition to various contributions, the book features an interview with Guy Goffette, along with several previously unpublished poems and novel excerpts, with contributions by Béatrice Bonhomme, Serge Bourjea, Benoît Conort, Christine Dupouy, Claire Habig, and Marie Joqueviel-Bourjea. Readers interested in contemporary French poetry and the intersections between verse, prose, and the visual arts may find these analyses a relevant extension of existing scholarship on the author.