The Yale Anthology of Twentieth-Century French Poetry

Edmond Jabès 1912–1991

cairo, egypt

A

poet and aphorist, Jabès focused on the mysteries and risks he found

inherent in writing, employing an oblique style, and refused to associ-

ate with any literary group. In 1930 he left Cairo for Paris to pursue

studies in literature at the Sorbonne. He soon abandoned his classes, however,

and returned to Cairo, where he took up an extended correspondence with Max

Jacob, who became his greatest literary inspiration. In 1945, a year after the poet’s

death, Jabès published his letters to Jacob. Jabès was active in the Resistance and

fought with the British in Palestine. In 1957 he was forced to leave Cairo during

the Suez Crisis. He became a French citizen in 1967 and resided in Paris. Principal

works: Je bâtis ma demeure: Poèmes, 1943–1957, 1959; Le Livre des questions, 1963;

Le Livre de Yukel, 1964; Retour au livre, 1965; Yaël, 1967; Elya, 1969; Aely, 1972; El,

ou le dernier livre, 1973; Ça suit son cours, 1975; Le Livre des ressemblances, 1976; Le

Soupçon le Désert, 1978; Du désert au livre: Entretiens avec Marcel Cohen, 1980;

L’Ine√açable l’Inaperçu, 1980; Le Petit Livre de la subversion hors de soupçon, 1982;

Récit, 1983; Dans la double dépendance du dit, 1984; Le Livre du dialogue, 1984; Le

Parcours, 1985; Le Livre du partage, 1987; Un Étranger avec, sous le bras, un livre de

petit format, 1989; Le Seuil, 1990; Le Livre de l’hospitalité, 1991.

Mirror and Scarf

‘‘We will gather images and images of images up till the last, which is blank. This one we will agree on.’’

—Reb Carasso

Mardohai Simhon claimed the silk scarf he wore around his neck was a
mirror.
‘‘Look,’’ he said, ‘‘my head is separated from my body by a scarf. Who dares
give me the lie if I say I walk with a knotted mirror under my chin?
‘‘The scarf reflects a face, and you think it is of flesh.
‘‘Night is the mirror. Day the scarf. Moon and sun reflected features. But my
true face, brothers, where did I lose it?’’
At his death, a large scar was discovered on his neck.