Heliotropes - Paperback

by Ryoko Sekiguchi (Author), Sarah O'Brien (Translator)

The role of proper names and their power over both named and namer is a subject Sekiguchi has addressed in her critical work. Now she returns to the theme in these poetic prose blocks. Set in a Portuguese botanical garden, they reconstruct the plant, animal, and aviary worlds through the lens of language.

Author Biography

RYOKO SEKIGUCHI was born in Tokyo and moved to Paris in 1997, where she studied art history at the Sorbonne. She received her doctorate in comparative literature in 2000 from the University of Tokyo, then returned to Paris, where she currently lives. She has published numerous books of poetry in both Japanese and French, most recently Heliotropes (P.O.L) and Adagio ma non troppo (le Bleu du ciel), and has collaborated with visual artists, including Suzanne Doppelt and Christian Boltanski. She translates poetry, prose, and criticism from Dari, French and Japanese and teaches at the Paris Research Center for Oriental Languages and Civilizations. The translator, SARAH O'BRIEN, is a poet and a photographer. A recent graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, she has traveled extensively in Africa, Asia, and South America. Her poetry has appeared in various journals in print and online. She currently teaches in Paris.