Book, Phantasus: poem-non-plus-ultra by Arno Holz[LS]

Despite being considered one of the greatest German poets and an avant-garde poet in his time, Arno Holz is very little known even in Germany. Phantasus is his most important work: a long, formally innovative poem that is structured vertically from a central axis (a feat in a totally analogue era), creating an intentionally organic visuality, with an emphasis on sound. A narrative that starts from everyday scenes and sensations in a circular way, returning to and developing the same themes throughout the poetic journey. The translator-author brings us excerpts from this work in which she reconstitutes its entire atmosphere, reproducing the structure, sound and intensity in an extremely creative exercise. And it offers the reader a panel that reveals the poet and the work from a critical point of view, as well as the work of translation. FOURTH COVER Phantasus is a journey through the theory and practice of translating avant-garde poetry, taking as its starting and ending point the poem-book Phantasus, by Arno Holz (1863-1929). After introducing us to the trajectory of the German poet, Simone Homem de Mello adopts the premise that the conception of poetic language carried out by literature, especially that of the avant-garde, reveals the aesthetic and historical-literary singularity of the original, thus engaging in a dialogue of affinities and divergences with the theoretical thoughts of Haroldo de Campos and Henri Meschonnic. The study of the translations of the work into French, English, Italian and Portuguese undertaken in this work by Simone Homem de Mello enriches the analysis and exposes the reader to the challenges of this endeavor. The same parameters used in comparing the aforementioned translations characterize his own brilliant translation of the seventeen fragments of Phantasus presented here, constituting a true inspiration for the translation of avant-garde poetry in general. SIGNOS The Signos collection is dedicated to experimental poetry, bringing together Brazilian and foreign poets committed to the radicality of language. It was conceived and directed by Haroldo de Campos until his death, and today it is directed by Augusto de Campos. FROM THE COVER A circular composition in which natural elements that float without a clear spatial definition allude to the circular character of Arno Holz's work, its lyricism and radicality. Illustration and editing by Luisa Moritz Kon/Bicho Coletivo.