Selected Writings

Selected Writings presents key works from French poet and critic Guillaume Apollinaire, spanning his career from 1902-1918. The collection includes poetry, prose poems, art criticism, and experimental texts that helped establish him as a leading voice of early 20th century modernism. The writings showcase Apollinaire's role in defining avant-garde movements like Cubism and Surrealism through both his creative work and critical essays. His war experiences as a soldier in WWI appear throughout later pieces, marking a shift in his artistic perspectives and themes. The book demonstrates Apollinaire's experiments with form, typography, and genre boundaries - innovations that influenced generations of writers and artists. His meditations on art, love, war and modernity reflect both the upheaval and creative energy of early 20th century Paris.

Readers appreciate Apollinaire's experimental style and his influence on surrealism, particularly in poems like "Zone" and "The Pretty Redhead." Multiple reviewers noted his ability to blend traditional forms with modern themes and imagery. Readers highlighted the breadth of work included, from poetry to art criticism to prose pieces. The translations by Roger Shattuck received specific praise for maintaining Apollinaire's playful language while preserving meaning. Common criticisms focused on the selections being too limited and the lack of original French text alongside translations. Some readers found the prose pieces less engaging than the poetry. Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (382 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (12 ratings) "His war poems hit differently than other WWI poetry - more immediate, less filtered," wrote one Goodreads reviewer. Another noted: "The art criticism sections drag compared to the verses, but they provide important context for his aesthetic philosophy."

Illuminations by Arthur Rimbaud This collection of avant-garde prose poems explores surreal imagery and the boundaries between reality and dreams through fragmentary, experimental writing.

Paris Spleen by Charles Baudelaire These prose poems capture the essence of urban life in nineteenth-century Paris through observations of street scenes, characters, and moments of metaphysical reflection.

Selected Poems by Max Jacob The work combines Jewish mysticism, Catholic faith, and modernist techniques in poems that shift between concrete imagery and dreamlike sequences.

Zone: Selected Poems by Blaise Cendrars These poems chronicle the emergence of modernity through trains, cities, and war while experimenting with typography and form.

Maxims by Paul Éluard The collection presents condensed poetic statements that merge surrealist techniques with political consciousness and observations of everyday life.

🌟 Apollinaire coined the terms "Surrealism" and "Cubism," fundamentally shaping how we discuss modern art movements 🎨 While serving in WWI, Apollinaire suffered a head wound from shrapnel and wore a distinctive black headband afterward, becoming his signature look 📝 His experimental poetry used visual arrangements called "calligrammes," where words formed pictures on the page—like his famous poem shaped like the Eiffel Tower 💌 He wrote erotic literature under various pseudonyms, including "The Eleven Thousand Rods," which was banned in France until 1970 🎭 Apollinaire was briefly suspected of stealing the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911 and was even arrested, though he was later cleared of all charges