Espace Perdu: Poésie by Huguette Bertrand
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Huguette Bertrand's Espace Perdu (Lost Space) is a collection of poetry born in the shadows of World War II France. Written in 1942, it captures the claustrophobia and dislocation of living under occupation. The poems don't tell a linear story with characters. Instead, they paint emotional landscapes—a city holding its breath, the ache for a horizon that's no longer free, the internal exile of living in a world that has suddenly turned alien and threatening.
Why You Should Read It
What struck me most was the quiet intensity. This isn't loud, protest poetry. It's about the weight of silence and the spaces between things that have gone missing: safety, connection, freedom. Bertrand finds startling images for these absences. Reading it, you feel the tension between wanting to hide and wanting to scream, all compressed into careful, measured lines. It’s a deeply personal record that somehow speaks to anyone who has ever felt displaced or trapped, even in their own life.
Final Verdict
Perfect for readers who love poetry that carries history in its bones, or for anyone drawn to work that explores resilience and interior life under duress. It’s also a fantastic, human-scale entry point into understanding the daily reality of the French Occupation. If you enjoy poets like Paul Éluard or the later, sparse work of Wisława Szymborska, you’ll find a friend here. Just be prepared for its quietness to echo in your head long after you close the book.
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Donald Sanchez
1 year agoI stumbled upon this title and the plot twists are genuinely surprising. Highly recommended.