Poems for the Millennium, Volume Four - by Pierre Joris & Habib Tengour (Paperback)

About the Book

"This comprehensive anthology of North African texts is the first of its kind available in English. The editors' scholarship is impeccable, as is their selection, translation, and contextualization of the works presented here. Joris and Tengour demonstrate a deep understanding and intimate knowledge not only of the texts, but also the cultural context and literary processes of North Africa."--Silvia Nagy-Zekmi, author of "Transatlantic Parallelisms"
"One might think that the literary works of North Africa are off the map of Western Civilization. No one who reads this book will think that ever again. This comprehensive anthology of writers both famous and unfamiliar--spanning an enormous sweep of more than two millennia-- compels us to integrate the Maghreb into our understanding of European and Middle Eastern literature. With these compelling and informative translations, Joris and Tengour make crystal clear that this region has a claim on being one of the wellsprings of the culture we value in the West. In so doing, they restore to us a missing part of the 'cradle' of our civilization."--Charles Bernstein, author of "Attack of the Difficult Poems: Essays and Inventions"

Book Synopsis

In this fourth volume of the landmark Poems for the Millennium series, Pierre Joris and Habib Tengour present a comprehensive anthology of the written and oral literatures of the Maghreb, the region of North Africa that spans the modern nation states of Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania, and including a section on the influential Arabo-Berber and Jewish literary culture of Al-Andalus, which flourished in Spain between the ninth and fifteenth centuries. Beginning with the earliest pictograms and rock drawings and ending with the work of the current generation of post-independence and diasporic writers, this volume takes in a range of cultures and voices, including Berber, Phoenician, Jewish, Roman, Vandal, Arab, Ottoman, and French. Though concentrating on oral and written poetry and narratives, the book also draws on historical and geographical treatises, philosophical and esoteric traditions, song lyrics, and current prose experiments. These selections are arranged in five chronological "diwans" or chapters, which are interrupted by a series of "books" that supply extra detail, giving context or covering specific cultural areas in concentrated fashion. The selections are contextualized by a general introduction that situates the importance of this little-known culture area and individual commentaries for nearly each author.

From the Back Cover

"This comprehensive anthology of North African texts is the first of its kind available in English. The editors' scholarship is impeccable, as is their selection, translation, and contextualization of the works presented here. Joris and Tengour demonstrate a deep understanding and intimate knowledge not only of the texts, but also the cultural context and literary processes of North Africa."--Silvia Nagy-Zekmi, author of Transatlantic Parallelisms

"One might think that the literary works of North Africa are off the map of Western Civilization. No one who reads this book will think that ever again. This comprehensive anthology of writers both famous and unfamiliar--spanning an enormous sweep of more than two millennia-- compels us to integrate the Maghreb into our understanding of European and Middle Eastern literature. With these compelling and informative translations, Joris and Tengour make crystal clear that this region has a claim on being one of the wellsprings of the culture we value in the West. In so doing, they restore to us a missing part of the 'cradle' of our civilization."--Charles Bernstein, author of Attack of the Difficult Poems: Essays and Inventions

Review Quotes

"This is a magisterial effort by two absolutely serious and accomplished poet-scholars. It is an important addition to the Poems for the Millennium series and significant in its own right, both expanding and complicating notions of the modern by introducing us to many writers we might not otherwise encounter."--Brooke Horvath "Rain Taxi" (11/1/2013 12:00:00 AM)

"A 'must own' item."-- "Silliman's Blog" (3/7/2013 12:00:00 AM)

"Their book comes at a time when there are a slew of English titles published on the Arab world, but unlike the majority of them, this volume actually encourages cultural appreciation. I could wax rhapsodic about these poems for months."--Alexis Coe "SF Weekly" (3/20/2013 12:00:00 AM)

"This book is the most important contribution to world literature for this year. . . . Every page shocks with different energy."--Grace Cavalieri "Washington Independent Rev" (3/5/2013 12:00:00 AM)

"With ingenious translations and informative commentaries, Joris and Tengour . . make palpable that this region is a wellspring of the culture we value in the West. In so doing, they restore to us missing parts of the 'cradle' of our civilization."--Charles Bernstein "Artforum" (12/1/2012 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Pierre Joris is a Professor of English at SUNY, Albany and an acclaimed translator and editor. as well as the author of many books of poetry. He is coeditor of UC Press's highly successful first two volumes in the Poems for the Millennium series.

Habib Tengour is a poet, editor, translator, anthropologist, and novelist. He is editor of OEuvres poétiques complètes de Mohammed Dib.