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Edouard Glissant’s most celebrated, scintillating philosophical work – which sets out a new poetic vision for the world
‘We cry our cry of poetry. Our boats are open, and we sail them for everyone.’
In Poetics of Relation, his most celebrated philosophical work, douard Glissant turns the Caribbean reality of his life into a complex, energetic vision of a world in transformation. We come to see that relation in all its senses – telling, listening, connecting, and the parallel consciousness of self and surroundings – is the key to revolutionising mentalities and reshaping societies. We are not rooted, but ever-changing; we have a right to opacity and to difference, wherever we are. Told in scintillating prose, this unique exploration of language, slavery, and poetic freedom narrates an Antillean identity, but also that of the whole world.
Edouard Glissant, who has died aged 82, was one of the most important writers of the French Caribbean. His novels, with their combination of textual complexity and emotional intensity, first brought him to public attention. More recently, he had become better known for collections of essays such as Poétique de la Relation (Poetics of Relation, 1990), Traité du Tout-Monde (Treatise On the Whole World, 1996) and Philosophie de la Relation (Philosophy of Relation, 2009). Glissant’s body of work, comprising eight novels, nine volumes of poetry, one play and 15 collections of essays, constitutes not only a profound reflection on colonialism, slavery and racism, but also a powerful vision of a world where cultural diversity flourishes. He was shortlisted for the Nobel prize for literature in 1992. The Guardian
Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Imprint: Penguin Classics
Publication date: 15/07/2025
