The Yale Anthology of Twentieth-Century French Poetry

Claude de Burine 1931–

nièvre, france

F

ollowing in the tradition of the Surrealists, de Burine’s poetry and sev-

eral essays employ impassioned metaphor and an e√usion of imagery to

illustrate the joys and sorrows of human existence. The landscape of her

native Nièvre inspires much of her writing, and although she has won many of

the country’s most important literary prizes, she remains practically unknown

outside of France. What is most singular about her strangely haunting work is a

kind of ‘‘mysterious, troubling presence in the fields, flowers, trees, country folk,’’

which she refers to frequently. From the age of five, she says, she had wanted to

bring the moonlight back into her poetry: she is not far from doing just that. Her

first collection appeared in 1955, but it was not until 1995 that a collection of her

work appeared in English translation. Principal works: L’Allumeur de réverbères,

1963; Hanches, 1969; Le Passeur, 1976; La Servante, 1980; Le Voyageur, 1991; Le

Visiteur, 1991; Le Passager, 1993; Le Pilleur d’étoiles, 1997.