Alcools / Alcohols (1913) -- Book Review

L'Adieu

J'ai cueilli ce brin de bruyère

L'automne est morte souviens-t'en

Nous ne nous verrons plus sur terre

Odeur du temps brin de bruyère

Et souviens-toi que je t'attends.

I was browsing the family's bookshelf in the hallway, they are mostly books that my siblings and I have read for schools, so most of them have notes in them which was the case for this one. I haven't read a book of poetry since high school and this was Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire, which to me, was one of the best poetry I've read. I picked up Apollinaire's Alcools for no particular reason, he is kind of famous so I decided I'd give it a try. Note that the book is called Alcools but also includes Le bestiaire ou le cortège d’Orphée (1911) and Vitam impendere amori'(1917).

I found his poems to be very uneven, some being really stunning and some seemed to be really drawn out, almost style over substance poetry. I enjoyed the most those with such themes as the idea of communicating and dancing with the dead, the ones about time that flies by and the shortness of a human life or simply the ones about Paris. I have to say, maybe it is my fault, but I couldn't get most of his reference to ancient history and/or deity or folklore and maybe it impended my enjoyment of those other poems. I also realized that for the longest poems, I felt lost in the words and had forgotten the meaning of the poem after a few pages.

I think the six short poems he wrote in prison are really good, dealing, of course, with freedom and loneliness in confinement. I found the poems he wrote in Germany (Nuits Rhénanes) not on par with the rest of the book, they were mere caricature of a lifestyle he seemed to criticize subconsciously.

The Bestiary (Le bestiaire ou le cortège d'Orphée) pleased me, they are all four or five verses poems about an animal, illustrated, often likening the animal to a certain human behavior which I found really striking and surprising.

All in all, I wasn't struck with most of the material and maybe a little disappointed in that. I think one of the reason being that I find it hard to relate to overtly romantic poetry. I was also surprised to find poems about prostitutes, which I think is pretty common for poets at the time, but all of those I read talk about the woman but not a single one actually wonders about their own act, about whether they feel guilt or remorse for visiting one, or if they felt an emotional connection with the woman. They are simple and I think it's a shame, if you are to write about such things, which is in itself an experience you are taking on, then don't make it about others but do the courageous thing and look at yourself.

I liked: Undeniably lyric. Passionate. Some really great themes.

I disliked: Very uneven. Hard to understand without a context sometimes. Few introspection.

58/100
I think it is definitely a classic of French poetry, however, it was not my cup of tea in its entirety so I picked away at the gems that pleased me.