Since its publication in 1913, Alcools has acquired classic status as a major landmark not only in French poetry but in the wider contexts of modern European literature.An indispensable text for an serious study of modernism, it is richly rewarding in its own right: it draw on traditions of folk-song and literary Symbolism, mingles lyrics of disarming simplicity with poems which are so boldly experimental that they can still challenge the modern reader and it looks forward to the discoveries of Surrealism and much else in subsequent writing.Above all, however, it records Apollinaire’s own endless curiosity about life and his own intensely personal response to all its manifestations.

This edition features the full French text, a comprehensive introduction including a biographical overview of Apollinaire, and the work’s context, structure and imagery.In addition to the text, commentary notes explain problematic phrases, enlighten obscure references or stylistic points and gloss particular words.The text is edited and the notes written by Anthony Pilkington, Fellow and Tutor in Modern Languages at Jesus College, Oxford.