Interpreting Bachelard – A Choir of Whispers

Who was Gaston Bachelard — and why interpret him through poetry?

Gaston Louis Pierre Bachelard (1884–1962) was a French philosopher known for his influential work in poetics and the philosophy of science. Though not a poet, he profoundly shaped modern thinking on imagination, creativity, and the symbolic power of language—especially through the lens of the natural elements.

Frank Prem first encountered the philosopher through an offhand remark suggesting his work held deep relevance to poetry. Intrigued, Prem journeyed through thirteen of Bachelard’s translated works on poetics, imagination, and elemental metaphor. The experience was creatively electrifying — every passage sparked a poetic response. The result was Bachelard Interpreted—a series of eight original poetry collections that echo, respond to, and reimagine the French philosopher’s poetic vision.

A Choir of Whispers is the first volume in a free-verse series by Australian poet and storyteller Frank Prem (Small Town Kid, Devil In The Wind, The New Asylum – a memoir of psychiatry).

Look Inside

did you see that

no
how could you

did you see
that one there then

no
you could not

it isn’t fair
to ask you

it isn’t right

how could you
see that

when it wasn’t there

or
over there

it wasn’t
right behind you

until I thought it
so

Dive into an interpretation of the poetics of Gaston Bachelard

A Choir of Whispers is a poetic response to the immersive experience of reading The Poetics of Space. Letting the philosopher’s ideas wash over him, Frank Prem surrendered to the creative impulse they inspired—producing verse that interprets and reimagines Bachelard’s reflections in poetic form.

Join the journey with A Choir of Whispers—the first collection in the Bachelard Interpreted series.