Anne Portugal
Encyclopedia
Anne Portugal is a French
poet
who lives and works in Paris. She was born in Angers
(Maine-et-Loire
) and attended Vincennes
University in the suburbs of Paris.
Her work is influenced by, and often references, Jacques Roubaud
as well as contemporary sources such as instruction booklets and video games.
Her recent work Définitif bob (translated by Norma Cole
as Virtual bob) has been the subject of considerable critical and popular interest. It is speculated that bob is short for bobine, a French word meaning "coil" and the origin of the English word "bobbin
". bob (lower-case is mandatory) is a character (a minuscule joker) who lives in a television set (la télé où il est mais dedans à l'envers, the telly where he is but inside the wrong way round) who is a specialist in the mission serrée horizontale (close-fought horizontal mission is one possible translation).
A recurring motif is bob il peut comme ça (untranslatable, perhaps bob, just like that, ...). Another notable feature is the absence of punctuation in the 24 sections of the 128 page book involving the reader in the construction of its meaning.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
who lives and works in Paris. She was born in Angers
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
(Maine-et-Loire
Maine-et-Loire
Maine-et-Loire is a department in west-central France, in the Pays de la Loire region.- History :Maine-et-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. Originally it was called Mayenne-et-Loire, but its name was changed to Maine-et-Loire in 1791....
) and attended Vincennes
Vincennes
Vincennes is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe.-History:...
University in the suburbs of Paris.
Her work is influenced by, and often references, Jacques Roubaud
Jacques Roubaud
Jacques Roubaud is a French poet and mathematician.Jacques Roubaud is a professor of poetry at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, and he was a professor of Mathematics at University of Paris X...
as well as contemporary sources such as instruction booklets and video games.
Her recent work Définitif bob (translated by Norma Cole
Norma Cole
Norma Cole is a contemporary American poet, visual artist, and frequent translator from the French. A member of the circle of poets around Robert Duncan in the '80s, and a fellow traveler of San Francisco's language poets, Cole is also allied with contemporary French poets.-Life and work:A...
as Virtual bob) has been the subject of considerable critical and popular interest. It is speculated that bob is short for bobine, a French word meaning "coil" and the origin of the English word "bobbin
Bobbin
A bobbin is a spindle or cylinder, with or without flanges, on which wire, yarn, thread or film is wound. Bobbins are typically found in sewing machines, cameras, and within electronic equipment....
". bob (lower-case is mandatory) is a character (a minuscule joker) who lives in a television set (la télé où il est mais dedans à l'envers, the telly where he is but inside the wrong way round) who is a specialist in the mission serrée horizontale (close-fought horizontal mission is one possible translation).
A recurring motif is bob il peut comme ça (untranslatable, perhaps bob, just like that, ...). Another notable feature is the absence of punctuation in the 24 sections of the 128 page book involving the reader in the construction of its meaning.
Works
- Mise en scène de Eric Vautrin, P.O.L, 2003.
- Définitif bob, P.O.L, May 2002.
- Eric Vautrin has created a theatrical 'version', presented at the Théâtre des Ateliers, Lyon. A performance is described at some length in Définitif Bob ou la poésie contemporaine... (in French)
- Et les gens contents de se baigner, RUP&RUD, 2001.
- Voyer en l'air. Editions de l'attente, "Week-end", 2001.
- Dans la reproduction en 2 parties égales des plantes et des animaux, P.O.L, 2001. (in collaboration with Suzanne DoppeltSuzanne DoppeltSuzanne Doppelt is a contemporary French writer and photographer, living in Paris. Suzanne Doppelt studied philosophy and teaches photography at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland....
). - La réalité en face/la quoi ?, Al Dante/RROZ, 1999. (in collaboration with Caroline DuboisCaroline DuboisCaroline Dubois is a French poet who lives and works in Paris. Her writing is close to dialogue and she often collaborates with other artists in readings or performances.A presentation of her work appeared in Cahier du Refuge n°: 69, 121....
) - Le plus simple appareil, P.O.L, 1992.
- A modern re-telling of the biblical story of Susannah and the elders, translated as Nude by Norma ColeNorma ColeNorma Cole is a contemporary American poet, visual artist, and frequent translator from the French. A member of the circle of poets around Robert Duncan in the '80s, and a fellow traveler of San Francisco's language poets, Cole is also allied with contemporary French poets.-Life and work:A...
, Kelsey St., 2001.
- A modern re-telling of the biblical story of Susannah and the elders, translated as Nude by Norma Cole
- Fichier, Éditions Michel Chandeigne, 1992.
- Souris au lait, Messidor-la Farandole : 01-Bellegarde, Impr. SADAG, 1989, ISBN 2-209-06113-X
- De quoi faire un mur, P.O.L, 1987.
- Les Commodités d'une banquette, P.O.L, 1985.
- La Licence, qu'on appelle autrement parrhésie, Gallimard, 1980.