The Yale Anthology of Twentieth-Century French Poetry

MARTINE BRODA

whose boards
collapse
behind our steps

I have abandoned
my tongue
and have walked
through ages

even the rhythm
of my steps
I left behind

even the sound
of my silence
has gone astray.

even returned
to myself
I remain
away.
—rosemary lloyd

Martine Broda 1947–

nancy, france

A

poet and essayist, Broda is perhaps best known for her love poems.

She has also written on and translated Pierre-Jean Jouve and Paul

Celan. In 1979, after serving as a high school teacher for nine years,

Broda began work with the Centre national de la recherche scientifique, in the

Centre de poétique comparée. In 1992 she joined the Centre de recherches sur les

arts et le langage. Principal work: Grand Jour, 1994.