French Literature Reviews - 2026
C. Dupouy, Jacques Réda, or the Genealogy of a Work
Poetry and Poetics
Review published in Acta Fabula (September 2018, vol. 19, no. 8): Marie Joqueviel-Bourjea, "Réda: Return and Recognition"
Jacques Réda or the Genealogy of a Work
Christine Dupouy
Publication date: 18/12/2017
Publisher: Hermann (Editions)
Series: Savoir lettres
ISBN: 978-2-7056-9504-0
EAN: 9782705695040
No. of pages: 316 p.
Few poetic works are as attuned to music as that of Jacques Réda. Attentive to both the slow pace and the rhythms of language, Réda crafts his prose and verse to the sound of jazz, as well as to the ambient sounds of our urban civilization. A flâneur poet with a bucolic lyrical style, an author full of humor when recounting his wanderings through Paris, the French countryside, or abroad, Réda is also one of the rare contemporary poets to practice scientific poetry in the tradition of Lucretius.
This book is dedicated to exploring this body of work, which has played a significant role in renewing French poetry yet remains insufficiently recognized.
Christine Dupouy, professor at the University of Tours, is a specialist in 20th-century poetry. Her notable publications include René Char (1987), La Question du lieu en poésie, du surréalisme jusqu'à nos jours (2006), and she has extensively researched André Dhôtel, to whom she has devoted three books.
Jacques Réda occupies a distinctive place in modern French letters, bridging traditional lyrical observation and contemporary rhythms through his engagement with jazz and urban environments. As a flâneur poet and practitioner of a bucolic yet scientifically informed verse reminiscent of Lucretius, his writing reflects the varied landscapes of Paris, the French countryside, and beyond. Christine Dupouy examines this poetic output within the broader landscape of twentieth-century poetry, engaging with a body of writing that has significantly contributed to the renewal of poetic expression while remaining under-recognized by broader critical audiences. Readers interested in contemporary French poetry and the intersections between verse, music, and the physical environment may find this exploration relevant to their studies.