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Thérèse for Joy and Orchestra
Hélène Monette and Jo-Anne Elder (Translator)
Guernica Editions, Fall 2014
153 pages
Trade Paperback
ISBN13: 9781550719758
ISBN10: 1550719750
English
Translated from the French
$15.00 Canada, $15.00 US
Eligible for a free book
Hélène Monette wrote this book to honour her sister Thérèse, who passed away in 2005. True to her sister's vision, the poet explores the wonder inhabiting the present moment. With this collection, which was awarded the prestigious Governor General's Award in 2009, the poet offers a celebration of the bond between the two sisters and a moving tribute to their extraordinary friendship. Thérèse pour Joie et Orchestre is her twelfth book, and the first to be translated into English.
for in my grieving heart / there is almost no space left for Gentleness / we will dismantle the wreckage left by silence / and all the violence we've listened to / simply by sitting down / on a swing made for two / in the strident music of a cicada summer
In Thérèse pour joie et orchestre, the poet transforms the sister she lost to illness into a happy spirit floating over people and places. This elegy … is astonishing in its ability to touch the reader. A magnificent ode in a voice that is generous and powerful.
Governor General’s Literary Award Jury
Books by Hélène Monette
Books by Jo-Anne Elder
