Tuesday, September 2, 2008

ROSMARIE WALDROP translator ANNEX PRESS













Over the years Rosmarie Waldrop and her husband Keith have given us many excellent translations of French and German poetry and prose. Quite a few authors whose work they have treated would otherwise have waited many years to see their english shadow. I first encountered Alain Veinstein's work while living in Paris in the mid seventies. I went to publisher's offices to see recent publications of experimental poetry. At Mercure I discovered Anne Marie Albiach's work ETAT, then, Roubaud, Garelli, Vachy, and a host of others. Returning to the states I met Michel Pierssens who edited the revue SUBSTANCE, and who had begun, along with Michel Benamou, the work of seeing many avant-garde writers, poets and playwrights into english. I wrote to Rosmarie Waldrop asking if she knew of Albiach and found she had many of the same encounters earlier, had already completed translations of their work. 

 The Annex supplements or ANNEXES continue to this day. The second supplement treated the work of a poet Alain Veinstein. The translation was done by Rosmarie Waldrop and the supplement was printed in an edition of 300. The cover included my arrangement of a paper puppet constructed by Ann Miller. Original size of 8" by 8".

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