Yves Bonnefoy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yves Bonnefoy
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Bonnefoy in 2004
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| Born |
Yves Jean Bonnefoy
24 June 1923 |
| Died | 1 July 2016 (aged 93) |
| Alma mater | University of Paris |
| Parent(s) | Marius Elie-Bonnefoy Hélène Maury |
Yves Jean Bonnefoy (born June 24, 1923, in Tours, France – died July 1, 2016, in Paris, France) was a famous French poet and art historian. He also translated many works, especially the plays of William Shakespeare. His Shakespeare translations are thought to be some of the best in French.
Bonnefoy was a professor at the Collège de France from 1981 to 1993. He wrote several books about art, art history, and artists like Miró and Giacometti. The Encyclopædia Britannica says that Bonnefoy was "perhaps the most important French poet of the latter half of the 20th century."
Contents
A Poet's Journey: Life and Career
Yves Bonnefoy was born in Tours, Indre-et-Loire, France. His father, Marius Elie Bonnefoy, worked on the railroad. His mother, Hélène Maury, was a teacher. Yves studied mathematics and philosophy at the Universities of Poitiers and the Sorbonne in Paris.
Early Influences and First Works
After World War II, he traveled around Europe and the United States. He also studied art history. From 1945 to 1947, he was involved with the Surrealists in Paris. This was a short time, but it influenced his first published work, Traité du pianiste (1946).
However, Bonnefoy truly found his unique style with Du mouvement et de l'immobilité de Douve (On the Motion and Immobility of Douve), published in 1953. This book made him well-known. His writing style is special because it uses simple words in a clever way.
Sharing His Work with the World
Many people have translated Bonnefoy's work into English. Some of these translators include Emily Grosholz, Galway Kinnell, and Hoyt Rogers. In 1967, he helped start L'éphémère, a magazine about art and literature.
Teaching and Inspiring Others
Bonnefoy taught literature at many universities. He taught in Europe and the USA. Some of these schools include Brandeis University, Johns Hopkins University, Princeton University, and Yale University. He also taught at the University of Geneva and the University of Nice.
In 1981, he became a professor at the Collège de France. He held the chair for the comparative study of poetry.
Throughout his life, Bonnefoy worked closely with painters. He wrote introductions for books by artists, including his friend Miklos Bokor.
His Legacy and Passing
Yves Bonnefoy passed away on July 1, 2016, in Paris. He was 93 years old. The President of France, François Hollande, said that Bonnefoy would be remembered for "elevating our language to its supreme degree of precision and beauty."
Awards and Recognitions
Yves Bonnefoy received many awards during his life. These awards honored his creative work.
Major Prizes and Honors
In 1971, he won the Prix des Critiques. Ten years later, in 1981, The French Academy gave him its grand prize. Soon after, in 1987, he won the Goncourt Prize for Poetry.
Over the next 15 years, he continued to receive honors. He won the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca and the Balzan Prize in 1995. In 1999, he received the Golden Wreath of Struga Poetry Evenings. The next year, in 2000, he won the Grand Prize of the First Masaoka Shiki International Haiku Awards.
Later Life Achievements
In his later years, Bonnefoy was still recognized for his talent. He received the Franz Kafka Prize in 2007. In 2011, he got the Griffin Lifetime Recognition Award from the Griffin Poetry Prize. In 2014, he was a co-winner of the Janus Pannonius International Poetry Prize. He also won the 2015 International Nonino Prize in Italy.
Selected Works in English
Many of Yves Bonnefoy's works have been translated into English. Here are some of them:
- 1968: On the Motion and Immobility of Douve – a book of poetry.
- 1985: Poems: 1959-1975 – more poetry.
- 1991: In the Shadow's Light – a collection of poems.
- 1991: Mythologies [2 Volumes] – a collection of myths and stories.
- 1993: Alberto Giacometti: A Biography of His Work – a book about art.
- 1995: The Lure and the Truth of Painting: Selected Essays on Art – essays about art.
- 2004: Shakespeare and the French Poet – essays about translating.
- 2007: The Curved Planks – a book of poetry.
- 2011: Second Simplicity: New Poetry and Prose, 1991-2011 – new poems and writings.
- 2012: Beginning and End of the Snow – a book of poetry.
- 2013: The Present Hour – a collection of poems.
- 2014: The Digamma – a book of poetry.
- 2015: The Anchor's Long Chain – includes both poems and short stories.
- 2017: Together Still – a book of poetry.
See also
In Spanish: Yves Bonnefoy para niños
