Kateb Yacine. Soliloquies and other poems

Abstract

One of the reasons it is so important to see these poems re-released in translation is that they are at the centre of a revolving poetic universe, in which the writer revisits, recycles and adapts his original poetry. Of course, the enduring figure of Nedjma– symbol of the Algerian nation – is omnipresent throughout these poems that flow into each other and into Kateb’s other literary creations. Indeed, the fragmented and fluid verses of these poems are themselves reflective of the intersecting poetic world that persists throughout Kateb’s work. In the absence of a complete collection of Kateb’s works, these poems bring a new focus on the writer (Foreword by Joseph Ford).