The collection “Les Célébrades: Poems” was published by Les impliqués in the spring of 2021. It unveils the very intimate and classical universe of its author, Bernard Anton. The main themes explored in this book include the contemplation of nature, the celebration of love, the acknowledgment of death (and renewal), the simplicity of everyday scenes, pleasure, ecology, and the urgency to escape: to discover the world. The man behind the book is multidisciplinary: a professor of theology, an author, and even a Quebec therapist.
To capture all aspects of existence, writer Bernard Anton chooses the haiku. Through this short and light form of Japanese poetry, the poet seeks to capture the soul of Brigitte Bardot and present his vision of this muse he considers “immortal.” His heroine is not the only figure highlighted; there’s also an attempt to grasp the wonder and uniqueness of every element of daily life.
As Bernard Anton is deeply committed to protecting the environment and nature in general, his art reflects the intention to use the icon of Brigitte Bardot as the standard-bearer for his ideas: a free woman, devoted body and soul to the defense of animals and planet Earth. The collective imagination associates her with her romantic passions, her constant quest for freedom, her rejection of nonconformity, and her obsession with serenity. Despite Brigitte Bardot’s extraordinary and untouchable status in this collection, environmentally conscious readers concerned about climate issues will feel close to the muse, as well as to the poet. A particularly notable passage reads: “Spirit of justice / infinite compassion / the animal bears witness.”
This collection might be a compilation of various observations. While Brigitte Bardot opens the ensemble, it also aims to present the winter season, the only one of the four seasons featured here with a complete section: “Les Hivernades.” The author distances himself from the rules of “classical and traditional poetic decorum” by deliberately deviating in terms of haiku and its syllables. For instance, in the section dedicated to the coldest time of the year, Bernard Anton experiments with a quintrain: “Minus / fifteen / sparrow in trance / chirps upon the branch / what does it imply up there? / complaint or delight?”
Even though the poet divides his collection into several themes, it is undeniable that each theme interweaves with the others, like a tentacled monster. For instance, “Les Amourades” blend feelings of romantic vertigo with the beauty of nature: “full moon tonight / inhabit the fullness / of your thoughts.” Thus, the subjects are not sharply separated from one another.
This collection is like a tree with closely placed branches. Even the simplest everyday events deserve to exist, in the poet’s eye in his “Quotidienades”: “waiting room / a song I enjoy / plays on the airwaves / the rain of announcements that follows / sabotages my pleasure.” The lightness of form allows readers to clearly identify the scene depicted and especially the emotion the poet felt at the time of writing. This perfectly balanced collection focuses on both the wild living world and human life in urban society. In this sense, it paints a daily life as sad as it is joyful, yet unfortunately endangered by human ambitions obsessed with achievement and technological progress, even if it means sacrificing the serenity of nature to achieve those ends…
However, Bernard Anton’s “Les Célébrades” is not the work of a pessimist, quite the contrary. As the book suggests, with an evocative and effective title, it aims to present praise and celebrate the beauty of all the things that compose life, starting with Brigitte Bardot, who embodies the great battles and themes so dear to the author Bernard Anton. A refined style, always raw and unembellished, humble in execution. This multilayered reading takes the reader on a journey like a series of photographs, taken from different places around the world, conveying emotions that are complex yet so simple at the same time…
Bernard Anton presents and constructs a very poetic narrative here, brimming with colors and situations that speak to everyone and all generations. A work that can be anchored in current events, especially concerning issues related to ecology and the urgent need to protect and defend animal rights. Through his own inspirations, and by exploiting the image of his heroine Bardot, the reader discovers the entire world at different times of the year. How can one live in this ever-changing world? What happens when one stops walking and rushing ahead? When we stop mistreating untamed nature and decide to listen to it?
This seems to be Bernard Anton’s goal, as discerned throughout the pages. This work can serve as an introduction to the world of poetry for the most skeptical. Instead of indulging in a complex reading of a work suffocated by complexity, symbolism, and hidden messages, the writer doesn’t squander time on convoluted formulas and gets straight to the point in his work, which is fluid and rich in strong images. Humor is also present, with the triviality of a life often taken “too seriously.”
Author’s website: [https://www.bernardanton.com](https://www.bernardanton.com)
