Finalist for the Governor General’s Award for Translation
Winner of Governor General’s Award for Poetry (French)
For Orchestra and Solo Poet is a solemn and lovely music lesson. ƒmile Martel’s poetic composition is a rich and thoughtful meditation on the art of creation, and its creator’s touch is deft and sure. In a language that is generous and true, the solitary poet of the land and the sea observes the islands whence comes the encompassing music he sings.
About the Author
Emile Martel is a writer, educator, and diplomat. Martel’s books include: For Orchestra and Solo Poet, Passeport, Les enfances brisees, L’ombre et le silence, Les gants jetes, and Bingt fois le corps des femmes. The French version of For Orchestra and Solo Poet, Pour orchestre et poète seul, won the Governor General’s Literary Award in 1995. Martel is an Officer of the Order of Canada.
About the Translator
D.G. Jones was a poet, translator, and educator. In 1969, Jones co-founded the bilingual literary journal Ellipse, which continues to be the only literary periodical in Canada which provides reciprocal translations, in equal measure, of both English and French Canadian poetry. He won two Governor General’s Literary Awards, one in the poetry category and another in the translation category. Jones died in 2016.
