Synopses & Reviews
Known as the and#8220;Spanish Homer,and#8221; Luis de Gand#243;ngora y Argote (1561and#8211;1627) is widely considered to be Spainand#8217;s greatest poet. He was both praised and vilified during his lifetime, but his reputation waned in the years after his death; in the 1920s, he was championed by the Modernists, including Federicoand#160;Garcand#237;a Lorca, and influential critics of Spanish literature, including Dand#225;maso Alonso. Famous for intricate metaphors in baroque style and syntax, Gand#243;ngora has even been immortalized as a literary term: a and#8220;gongorismand#8221; connotes an involved Latinate style. Yet despite his influence and reputation, Gand#243;ngora is not well known to English-speaking readers. Selected Poems of Luis de Gand#243;ngora aims to change that.
Making the poet available to contemporary readers of poetry without denying him his historical context, Selected Poems of Luis de Gand#243;ngora represents Gand#243;ngora as master of many genres and a writer whose life and poetry are closely intertwined. His verse speaks of the hardships of love, current events, friendship, the trials of life at court, and the beauties of his beloved Cand#243;rdoba. His ballads and lyrics embrace a great variety of subjects: stories from the border warfare between Moors and Christians, tales of romance, the treacheries of ambition, and above all, a self-mocking autobiography and his own, often irreverent, versions of famous literary themes.
John Dent-Youngand#8217;s free translations capture Gand#243;ngoraand#8217;s intensely musical voice and transmit the individuality and self-assuredness of the poet. The first significant edition of this seminal and challenging poet in a decade, Selected Poems of Luis de Gand#243;ngora will find an eager audience among students of poetry and scholars studying the history and literature of Spain.
Review
andquot;Gandoacute;ngora is the Spanish baroque poet par excellence. His works reach dazzling rhetorical and linguistic heights.Gandoacute;ngora captured what he saw and perceived and then added verbal flourishes that make the world the micocosm and the word the macrocosm....Gifted and daring, Dent-Young attempts to produce translations that could stand on their own and that give Gandoacute;ngoraand#160;'a human voice.'andquot;andmdash;Choiceand#160;
Review
andldquo;[This] translation will be a good introduction to English-speaking readers interested in one of the Baroqueandrsquo;s greatest poets. The selection gives such readers a good idea of Gandoacute;ngora's range, and the translations are readable while still reflecting the poet's style.andrdquo;
Review
“Góngora is one of the most significant figures in Spanish early modern literature.” David Orr
Review
andldquo;Gandoacute;ngora is one of the most significant figures in Spanish early modern literature.andrdquo;
Synopsis
Making Luis de Gongora s work available to contemporary English-language readers without denying his historical context, Selected Poems of Luis de Gongorapresents him as not only one of the greatest and most complex poets of his time, but also the funniest and most charismatic. From longer works, such as The Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea, to shorter ballads, songs, and sonnets, John Dent-Young s free translations capture Gongora s intensely musical voice and transmit the individuality and self-assuredness of the poet. Substantial introductions and extensive notes provide personal and historical context, explain the ubiquitous puns and erotic innuendo, and discuss translation choices. A significant edition of this seminal and challenging poet, Selected Poems of Luis de Gongorawill find an eager audience among students of poetry and scholars studying the history and literature of Spain.
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About the Author
John Dent-Young is a freelance editor and translator who has also translated from Mandarin Chinese. He was a lecturer in English at the Chinese University of Hong Kong for nearly twenty years.
Table of Contents
and#160;
Introduction
Iand#160; Shorter poems: ballads, sonnets and letrillas
IIand#160; Soledad I and#160;and#160;c.1612and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; First Solitude
IIIand#160; The Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea c.1612
IVand#160; Pyramus and Thisbeand#160; 1618
and#160;
Commentary and notesand#160;
Bibliography
Index of Titles and First Lines