I was reminded that I haven’t read any of my Penguin Modern box set recently by Lisa’s posts on two of the books from the collection – Fernando Pessoa’s “I Have More Souls Than One” and Lorca’s “The Dialogue of Two Snails”, both of which she covered for Spanish and Portuguese Literature Month. I’ve read and loved the Pessoa, and haven’t yet reached the Lorca – but I decided to press on with the next two books, and intriguing reads they turned out to be!
Penguin Modern 39 – Letter to my Mother by Georges Simenon
Simenon of course needs no introduction; I’ve read tons of his Maigret stories, and love them, as well as a few of his romans durs, as he called his non-Maigret fictions. This, however, is something a little different; “Letter to my Mother” is an autobiographical piece which is indeed in the form of a letter addressed to his mother, written after her death.

Via Wikimedia Commons – By Jac. de Nijs / Anefo (Nationaal Archief) [CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons
There are two or three billion people on earth… How many have there been since prehistoric times? No one has any idea. What does seem reasonable to suppose is that they’ve always fought and killed each other as they do now, that they’ve always had to fight their neighbours, natural disasters, and epidemics.
Of course, by the time Simenon’s reached this point, it’s too late; there can be no real reckoning and instead he’s left to carry with him all the things left unsaid between them – which is perhaps the point of this work. It’s a stark, often painful piece of writing, but incredibly powerful. The relationships between parents and children are incredibly complicated (I know that from my own experiences) and to lay them bare like this takes a certain kind of courage and also the strength to examine yourself. Simenon is someone who doesn’t seem to shy away from difficult subjects, and this was an unforgettable read.
Penguin Modern 40 – Death the Barber by William Carlos Williams
In contrast to the intensity of the prose in the Simenon, PM40 is verse, and by a poet whom I know I’ve read before – William Carlos Williams. I suspect I read him in my teens, when I discovered a lot of 20th century poets, thought I don’t think I own a book by him, so I probably discovered him in anthologies. The poems in this PM are drawn from a dozen collections, ranging from 1917 to 1962, so do cover a wide range of Williams’ writing.

William Carlos Williams, from his passport photo (Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
And this is the kind of poetry I love; short, immediate verses which grab and hold the attention, paint little pictures with words, drop beautiful little phrases into your line of sight where they lodge, and which stay with you afterwards.
These
are the desolate, dark weeks
where nature in its barrenness
equals the stupidity of man.
The PM contains what is probably WCW’s most famous verse “This is just to say” (all about the plums in the icebox!), but there are so many other fabulous poems – “These” was particularly memorable. I picked up hints of e e cummings in places, perhaps, but WCW has a wonderfully individual and idiosyncratic way of writing – another PM which I loved to bits!
*****
So two extremely different but equally great Penguin Moderns today – at 58 pages, the Simenon is definitely best published and read as a standalone piece (I don’t know if it always is) so you can read properly, digest and ponder upon it. And a poetry collection of 55 pages is just the right length, as it’s so easy to get overwhelmed by large chunky editions. These two PMs were both excellent entries in the series and hey! guess what! – I’m now four fifths of the way through!!! 😀
Jul 19, 2021 @ 07:04:58
Thanks for the mention!
I must get a copy of that Simenon…
Jul 19, 2021 @ 11:44:51
Thanks for the nudge! And yes – the Simenon is excellent!
Jul 19, 2021 @ 07:09:43
I had no idea Simenon had written that non-fiction piece, it sounds really powerful. I don’t know WCW poetry well at all but your description of his style is really appealing, I’ll have to hunt through some anthologies and see if I have anything by him!
Jul 19, 2021 @ 11:44:27
It is extremely powerful, and so well written – Simenon was a complex character and a wonderful author! As for WCW, I obviously need to reconnect with him more – and I think one of my Penguin Modern Poets might be able to help there… ;D
Jul 19, 2021 @ 08:29:13
I first came upon the poetry of WCW as a student. After studying Eng Lit in a traditional way, chronologically, starting with Old English and going on through the metaphysicals to the Victorians, his imagist/modernist poems were a revelation. So different from Wallace Stevens, who I never really warmed to.
Jul 19, 2021 @ 11:39:24
I was probably the same age, and I did warm to to WCW a lot! I’m not sure if I’ve read Wallace Stevens – there are huge gaps in my poetry knowledge!
Jul 19, 2021 @ 13:20:39
Loved your post — what interesting works and so much fun to contrast the two pieces! I am in awe of your discipline in working through your set (I have many novellas and shorter works, all unread, on the shelf).
I was particularly interested in WCW, who’s one of those names that floats around in 20th century American literature classes and whom I’ve never read. A quick consult with wiki (source of all knowledge, right?) was quite a surprise, as I had no idea WCW hung out with such interesting folks (lots of great artists, like Marsden Hartley, Charles Demuth & Marcel Duchamp). I really must check out WCW’s poetry, as I enjoyed your quote very much.
I haven’t read much of Wallace Stevens, as I find his poetry’s a little too difficult for me (I only attempted it because of a Helen Vendler commentary I was skimming). But — his poem “The Snow Man” is really great, if not terribly appropriate in the middle of the summer! https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45235/the-snow-man-56d224a6d4e90
Jul 19, 2021 @ 16:02:48
Thank you! I’m mildly impressed myself that I’m getting through this box, bearing in mind my usual track record with this kind of challenge. However, Penguin Modern Classics are books I love as a rule anyway, which helps…
As for WCW, I do recommend him – and what an interesting life! Thank you for the link to WS – I shall check this one out!
Jul 19, 2021 @ 14:50:43
Two authors I haven’t read (not even Maigret!). I’m not very knowledgable about poetry but 55 pages of short immediate verse sounds a very good introduction. The whole series seems to work very well.
Jul 19, 2021 @ 16:01:15
Ah, Maigret is great – I love those books! As for poetry, a short burst is definitely good, and I’ve found the Penguin Moderns series as a whole to be brilliant.
Jul 19, 2021 @ 16:39:59
Beautiful post, Kaggsy! I want to read Simenon’s book! It makes me think of Annie Ernaux’ ‘A Woman’s Story’, which is about her mother. Love the picture of William Carlos Williams – he looks so cool! Also love the poem of his that you shared! Thanks for sharing your thoughts 😊
Jul 19, 2021 @ 19:52:02
Thanks Vishy! The Simenon is certainly as uncompromising as Ernaux’s books are, so worth tracking down. And I loved WCW’s poetry – one to explore more closely, I think!
Jul 19, 2021 @ 17:21:31
That Simeon piece sounds very powerful. I haven’t ever read him but I know several people – including you – who rate him highly. Well done on committing yourself to reading all these Penguin Moderns,they are throwing up some really interesting stuff.
Jul 19, 2021 @ 19:51:06
The Simenon is great – powerful and quite unforgettable, really. I love his Maigret stories mostly, though I have read some of his non-Maigrets and they’re harder edged though still very good. I really have loved the Penguin Moderns – just a brilliant collection!
Jul 19, 2021 @ 18:26:16
I do like the sound of that Simenon, although it’s probably something I’d have to be in the mood for due to the striking subject matter…
When did he write it? I guess I’m interested to hear if it’s something he wrote fairly soon after his mother’s death or much later (from a period of distance, so to speak)?
Jul 19, 2021 @ 19:50:04
It’s very striking, that’s for sure. I believe it was written about 3 years or so after his death-bed vigil – certainly it does read like something he had meditated upon during the interval between and I think that period of reflection comes through in the narrative. Definitely worth reading.
Jul 19, 2021 @ 19:15:05
The other week I picked up an anthology from school and was amazed to see just how many poets and writers I “discovered” in its pages. Just to think, that we likely didn’t recognize m/any of those writers back then and, now, we’ve realized that each could provide hours and hours, or weeks and years, of reading beyond the excerpt or two in those compilations. Glad to see you back at these little gems: maybe next time you can include a picture of how impressive the stack of forty you’ve finished now looks (just as incentive to keep on with your project…then again, that would cut into precious reading time…so nevermind LOL).
Jul 19, 2021 @ 19:44:19
I have a similar anthology from school, and looking through at the names I can see many I loved then but many more which would benefit from a deeper exploration! As for the Penguin Moderns, they’re just brilliant – they’re in the header of the blog so if you look closely you could probably work out where I’m up to…. ;D
Jul 28, 2021 @ 23:36:35
Wow, you are doing great up there! congrats!
Jul 29, 2021 @ 15:09:33
Doing my best! 😀
Jul 20, 2021 @ 00:15:08
I can see why you think Simenon’s Letter should be a standalone piece, very powerful. Interesting to think how the relationship with his mother must have influenced his own troubled relations with women.
Sometimes WCW’s work kind of brings to mind a modernist Emily Dickinson…
Jul 20, 2021 @ 19:27:40
He was a complicated man, that’s for sure, and I get the impression there was a lack of warmth in his childhood, with his mother fighting for survival and status. Most interesting. And good point about WCW – there’s that kind of feel to it!
Jul 20, 2021 @ 06:42:55
Two excellent ones by the sounds of it, and I hadn’t realised you were so far through – well done!
Jul 20, 2021 @ 19:26:51
They were both so good, although in different ways. And yes, I’m getting through them – the end does seem in sight!!