“Jouve’s finds” Walking in the company of a prolific translator who didn’t know any foreign languages (A Fantasie)

In order to appreciate Pierre Jean Jouve’s prolific translation work, one must bear in mind that he did not know any foreign languages. He used literal translations by collaborators, such as his unassuming wife, the psychoanalyst Blanche Reverchon. One must also understand his poetics: his translations benefit from his marvelous ability to superimpose images and the music of phonemes in order to evoke what cannot be said with words. Some readers pick this up, but not all.