Analysis of Blaise Cendrars' poetic style and themes in his works, including 'The Prose of the Trans-Siberian' and 'Le Panama or the Adventures of My Seven Uncles'.
Extract
[...] Blaise Cendrars also lets it be understood that it is probably the letters of his uncles that gave him his poetic vocation. On the two poems: The poetry of Blaise Cendrars seems to me to be truly original because he has a very particular writing style. He multiplies the astonishing images, which seem to come from nowhere. His writing seems very close to what he lives. He says things very directly in an authentic, direct, poetic style, in a less boring and academic way than more classical poets. [...]
[...] We find a certain number of similarities between the 'Cahiers de Douai' and this poem by Blaise Cendrars. We find both in Rimbaud and in Blaise Cendrars a powerful poetic breath with fanciful images that are given to the reader. We also find in both poets a desire for flight and escape characteristic of a tumultuous youth. « Le Panama or the Adventures of My Seven Uncles One can understand the poet's fascination with the adventures of his uncles first because he seems to get bored when left alone. [...]
[...] Original Citations « One was carrying a hundred crates of alarm clocks and cuckoo clocks from the Black Forest Another, hat boxes, top hats and a selection of Sheffield bottle stoppers One of them, coffins from Malmo filled with tin cans and oil sardines The poet here speaks of merchants. We can appreciate the picturesque character of the description of these merchants who embark with them a lot of heterogeneous objects. « We are the butt-ends of space Cendrars demonstrates here a certain sense of the formula by representing the poet as an individual fundamentally scarred by life. [...]
[...] ) And the specialists of international express In this excerpt, the poet lets his imagination speak and parades before our eyes at the same time references of fiction and elements that refer to the reality that is his. This excerpt shows all the poet's inventiveness. « Say, Blaise, are we far from Montmartre? I have this anaphora that has a kind of refrain effect, which allows the poem to be scannable in a way. My reading impressions Blaise Cendrars' writing is very unique. When we read for example 'The Prose of the Trans-Siberian', we are captivated by the poetic breath that runs through this very long poem. [...]
[...] He also expresses with a lot of lyricism his love for Jeanne, whom we can guess is a prostitute who may not have had an easy life but rather a life in poverty and shame that one can feel when one is forced to 'sell their charms' according to the formula. Prose of the Trans-Siberian The poet's adolescence seems to me indeed 'ardent' and 'mad' in the sense that he lives incredible things. One also feels all the ardor that inhabits him at the deepest level of himself. The poet gives a very subjective image of Russia. He presents this country as an immense, powerful but also a bit troubled and mysterious, fanciful country. [...]
