French Literature Reviews - 2026
W. Bohn, Reading Apollinaire's Calligrammes
Poetry and Poetics
Bibliographic reference: Willard Bohn, Reading Apollinaire's Calligrammes, Bloomsbury, "Bloomsbury Academic" series, 2017. EAN13: 9781501338311.
This book examines Apollinaire's second major poetry collection. Written between 1913 and 1918, the nineteen poems analyzed here fall into two main categories: experimental poetry and war poetry. Among other things, they offer valuable insights into the poet's personal life, tracing his path from his love for Louise de Coligny-Châtillon to his engagement to Madeleine Pagès and his eventual marriage to Jacqueline Kolb. Each section reviews existing scholarship, provides a detailed analysis, and frequently proposes a new interpretation. Every poem undergoes rigorous scrutiny in light of current scholarly knowledge.
Table of contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Revolution and Renewal
2. Simultaneous Exercises
3. Miraculous Encounters
4. Visual Poetry
5. The War Poetry
6. More War Poetry
7. Order and Adventure
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
Reviews
“Willard Bohn has produced a monumental work of exegesis. This volume, a close study of nineteen key poems in chronological order, elucidates in a line-by-line analysis the complexities and nuances of these poems. Drawing on his vast erudition, Willard Bohn, a leading American scholar of Apollinaire's life and artistic career, coordinates, integrates and maps—without scholarly jargon—all the previous studies of Calligrammes within a larger panoramic vision of the artist, his world and modernist vision. Bohn's readings provide a “cutting edge” understanding of Apollinaire's poetic accomplishment, his poetic innovations, visual poetry, collage poems, use of simultaneity and cubistic perspectives, indeterminacy and desired ambiguity. Bohn restores Apollinaire's major and final masterpiece, Calligrammes, to its rightful place as a key document in the history of Western poetry of the twentieth century and still affecting us today in the postmodern era.” – Seth L. Wolitz, Professor Emeritus of French and Comparative Literature, University of Texas at Austin, USA
“Willard Bohn here presents his own enlightened and original readings of nineteen poems selected from Guillaume Apollinaire's Calligrammes, constantly testing his views and interpretations against those offered by scores of other critics, past and present. The result is an international, polyphonic and polyfocal appreciation of an essential group of astonishing texts that together form a cornerstone of European modernism.” – Peter Read, Professor of Modern French Literature and Visual Arts, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
Guillaume Apollinaire occupies a central place in the evolution of modern literature, bridging nineteenth-century traditions and the avant-garde experiments of the early twentieth century. His work frequently incorporates visual elements, linguistic play, and the fragmented perspectives associated with cubism and simultaneity. Studies in this field typically explore how poets responded to the rapid technological advancements, social shifts, and ultimately the devastation of the First World War. Scholars examine the interplay between typography and poetic meaning, situating these textual innovations within broader European artistic movements.
Readers interested in modern French poetry or the intersections of literature and the visual arts may find this volume relevant. Willard Bohn examines nineteen poems from Calligrammes, written between 1913 and 1918, falling into experimental poetry and war poetry. The book reviews existing scholarship, provides detailed analyses, proposes new interpretations, and traces personal relationships through the poet's life, engaging with a wide range of critical perspectives on the collection.