In defense of the poetic, Pascal Quignard pens an impassioned reply to von Hofmannsthal-s despondent Lord Chandos
In 1902, Hugo von Hofmannsthal-s Lord Chandos Letter articulated a deep crisis of faith in language. Having -lost completely the ability to think or speak of anything coherently,- the titular character abandons literature in favor of silence. In The Answer to Lord Chandos, a text that was meticulously crafted over 41 years, Pascal Quignard passionately challenges this withdrawal and urges us not to forsake the power of poetry. His exhortation meditates on Emily Bront-Handel, Rembrandt and more to demonstrate how literature rejuvenates our connection to the universe. In an introduction to this first English edition, French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy illuminates the core question animating this debate, which has resonated within literature since its inception: can poetry give access to the real? Quignard-s resounding answer offers a tes
