Interpreting Bachelard – A Cleansing Flame

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

Gaston Louis Pierre Bachelard (1884–1962) was a French philosopher renowned for his work in poetics and the philosophy of science. Though not a poet himself, he shaped modern thought on imagination, creativity, and the symbolic language of the natural elements.

Frank Prem discovered Bachelard through an offhand remark suggesting the philosopher’s ideas were deeply relevant to poetry. Intrigued, Prem journeyed through thirteen of his translated works on imagination, reverie, and elemental metaphor. The result was creatively electric — each passage sparked a poetic response. Thus began Bachelard Interpreted — a series of eight free-verse collections that echo, respond to, and reimagine the philosopher’s poetic vision.

A Cleansing Flame is the second volume in this series, written by Australian poet and storyteller Frank Prem (Small Town Kid, Devil In The Wind, The New Asylum – a memoir of psychiatry).

Look Inside

he was crude
stuff

he was raw

but
when he lit himself . . .

a flare
of bright white light

he burned

until —
clean again —
he shone

he warmed

he was
a marvel

Dive into an interpretation of the poetics of Gaston Bachelard

A Cleansing Flame is a poetic response to Bachelard’s reflections on flame and fire — as explored in three books, including The Psychoanalysis of Fire. Immersing himself in the philosopher’s ideas, Frank Prem allowed the poetic impulse to rise naturally, crafting a series of free-verse poems that both interpret and reimagine Bachelard’s vision through a personal lens.

Join the journey with A Cleansing Flame — the second collection in the Bachelard Interpreted series.