Francois Szabo

Enigmatic Sound Francois Szabo

François SzabóPoet born in Montpellier (France) in 1967, author of more than forty books of poetry in French, American, Catalan, Castellan, Russian and Italian, member of Academy of American Poets, Société des Poètes Français, Poètes Sans Frontières, Poetas del Mundo, 100 Thousand Poets for Change, World Poetry Movement, Autour des Auteurs. Sends a message of faith and hope, love and friendship when all we need in this world is strength and tenderness and poetry can make it always. So, for a better life and harmony. ******Consider for example the lines "and so the lent crescent fine pellicular peal / is for us a celestial vision." Grammatically correct, yes; using words that exist, yes. But the choice of those words and their ordering is unusual and the strangeness of their juxtaposition gives an elusive quality to the text, the meaning hovering tantalizingly within reach but difficult to grasp. This elliptical daring coupled with the rolling assonance and sonority is what poetry is all about - vivid, provisional, unique and bizarre. It follows in the tradition of English mystics like Hopkins who used that tumble of off-kilter words to great effect: "her earliest stars, earl stars, stars principal overbend us, fire-featuring heaven." François' lines "Like was she were / Never woman can be" evoke earlier poets like Blake. -Roger West