The Digamma

An inspiring book of poetry and prose by the celebrated author Yves Bonnefoy. Heralded as one of Franceâ€s greatest poets, Yves Bonnefoy has been dazzling readers since the publication of his first book in 1953. He remains influential and relevant, continuing to compose groundbreaking new work. Though Bonnefoy recently celebrated his ninetieth birthday, many are calling these past two decades his most impressive yet. His latest book of poetry and prose, The Digamma, fits wonderfully into his impressive oeuvre, offering his signature style of simple but powerful language with fresh new grace. A key passage of the title piece of the book depicts the figures of Nicolas Poussinâ€s The Shepherds of Arcadia, which Bonnefoy has identified as crucial to the artistâ€s evolution. The sustained reference to Poussinâ€s iconography serves to ground the text in the lost civilizations of antiquity. Subtly, it brings out the underlying theme of the entire collectionâ€in the ambivalent world we inhabit, being and non-being is fundamentally one. As a leading translator of Shakespeare in France, Bonnefoyâ€s fascination with the master playwright is displayed in “God in Hamletâ€. and “For a Staging of Othello,â€. two poems in prose that belong to an ongoing series of meditations on the plays. The collection also includes haunting reflections on children, nature, the origins of art, and vanished cultures.