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Original Essays | April 29, 2013
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This title in other editionsFsg Book of Twentieth-Century Latin
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:A major bilingual anthology of twentieth-century Latin American poetry During a century of extraordinary change, poets became the chroniclers of deep polarizations. From Rubén Daríos quest to renew the Spanish language to César Vallejos linking of religion and politics, from Jorge Luis Borgess cosmopolitanism to Pablo Nerudas placement of poetry as uncompromising speaker for the downtrodden, and from Alejandra Pizarniks agonies of the self to Humberto AkAbal's examination of all things indigenous, it is through verse that the hemispheres cantankerous collective soul in an age of overhaul might best be understood. A brilliant, moving, and thought-provoking summation of these forking paths, The FSG Book of Twentieth-Century Latin American Poetry invites us to look at an illustrious literary tradition with fresh eyes. Ilan Stavans, one of the foremost scholars of Hispanic culture and a distinguished translator, goes beyond easy geographical and linguistic categorizations in gathering these works. This bilingual anthology features eighty-four authors from sixteen different countries writing in Spanish, Portuguese, Mapuche, Nahuatl, Quechua, Mazatec, Zapotec, Ladino, and Spanglish. The poems are rendered into English in inspired fashion by first-rate translators such as Elizabeth Bishop, Galway Kinnell, W. S. Merwin, Alastair Reid, Mark Strand, and Richard Wilbur. In these pages the reader will experience the power of poetry to account for a hundred years in the life of a restless continent. Review:"This ambitious anthology from critic and translator Stavans (Dictionary Days) attempts to introduce North American readers to the great strengths and the variety of Latin American modernity in verse. Beginning with the Cuban poet and patriot Jose Martà (1853 — 1895), Stavans's selection runs from the lushly formal nationalisms of a century ago (the Peruvian José Santos Chocano: 'I sing American, in its wild and autochthonous state... When I feel Incan, I honor that king,/ the Sun'), through the world-renowned intellect of Jorge Luis Borges, the expansive passions of Pablo Neruda, and the tender bleakness of the great Brazilian Carlos Drummond de Andrade, to a wealth of less famous, more recent poets. The volcanic odes of the Mexican Gloria Gevirtz ('The cages enclosing the perfumes, the limitless delights/ the voluptuousness of being born again and again') continue Neruda's visionary tradition, while the compressed bite of the Guatemalan Mayaquiche Humberto Ak'abal brings in another. While Stavans translates many poems himself, many more are reprinted from extant versions by famous names: Mark Strand, Elizabeth Bishop, Eliot Weinberger, Ursula K. Le Guin. Presented in facing-page format, Stavans's anthology inclines to the accessible; specialists may be frustrated by a few points, but Stavans aims, instead, to bring a whole tree of poems and traditions to U.S. readers who do not know it well. (Apr.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Synopsis:During a century of extraordinary change, poets became the chroniclers of deep polarizations. From Rubén Daríos quest to renew the Spanish language to César Vallejos linking of religion and politics, from Jorge Luis Borgess cosmopolitanism to Pablo Nerudas placement of poetry as uncompromising speaker for the downtrodden, and from Alejandra Pizarniks agonies of the self to Humberto Akabals examination of all things indigenous, it is through verse that the hemispheres cantankerous collective soul in an age of overhaul might best be understood. A brilliant, moving, and thought-provoking summation of these forking paths, The FSG Book of Twentieth-Century Latin American Poetry invites us to look at an illustrious literary tradition with fresh eyes. Ilan Stavans, one of the foremost scholars of Hispanic culture and a distinguished translator, goes beyond easy geographical and linguistic categorizations. This bilingual anthology features eighty-four authors from sixteen different countries writing in Spanish, Portuguese, Mapuche, Nahuatl, Quechua, Mazatec, Zapotec, Ladino, and Spanglish. The poems are rendered into English in inspired fashion by first-rate translators such as Elizabeth Bishop, Galway Kinnell, W. S. Merwin, Alastair Reid, Mark Strand, and Richard Wilbur. In these pages the reader will experience the power of poetry to account for a hundred years in the life of a restless continent. About the AuthorIlan Stavans is the Lewis-Sebring Professor in Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College. His books, including Art and Anger, Spanglish, On Borrowed Words, The Poetry of Pablo Neruda, and Becoming Amreicans, have been translated into a dozen languages. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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Fiction and Poetry » Anthologies » Miscellaneous International Poetry
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