Pauses in the Procession

A sequence of prose poems by one of the greatest, and least translated, of the Symbolist writers.

Preceded by an essay by Remy de Gourmont.

The Breton poet Saint-Pol-Roux (1861-1940) was one of the most extraordinary figures thrown up by the Symbolist movement, although intensely admired by his most discerning comtempories, and later, by the Surrealists, his work has ever remained a minority taste by virtue of its density of expression. This selection from his most famous collection of prose poems is prefaced by Alastair Whyte, currently involved with the publication of his works by the French publisher Rougerie, and includes Remy de Gourmont’s essay from The Book of Masks, which presents one way of reading his works, a way that is perhaps somewhat reductionist.