Ilan Stavans is the Lewis-Sebring Professor in Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College. His books include Spanglish, On Borrowed Words, The Poetry of Pablo Neruda, and Becoming Americans. His work has been translated into a dozen languages.
"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 Marti
(1853-1895), Stavans's selection runs from the lushly formal
nationalisms of a century ago (the Peruvian Jose 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."
--Publisher's Weekly (starred review)"A great introduction in
English to the vast diversity of 20th-century Latin American verse,
often as innovative as the Latin American novel." --Lawrence
Olszewski, Library Journal"I feel like a punching bag after reading
this anthology; repeatedly walloped by the force of the original
poems and again by the translations. I had never read Mexican poets
Enrique Gonzalez Martinez or Amado Nervo but for me they are now
linked with the vibrant translations written by Samuel Beckett. I
used to think Afro-Cuban author Nicolas Guillen's "Negro Bembon"
and "Tu no sabe ingle" were all about what gets lost in translation
from Cuban Spanish to American English. No more. Cuban American
novelist Achy Obejas has written a daring interpretation that
sounds just right in English. But it is Ursula K. Le Guin who has
written the best translation of the bunch. For best, I mean
effective plus beautiful. Le Guin's translation of a dreamy
Gabriela Mistral poem is so good that it's almost as if the
American and Chilean writers sat down to write the same work from
scratch in two languages at the same time. "The Sleep-Wave" and "La
Ola Del SueNo" read as if they were destined to be twinned." --Luis
Clemens, NPR"Handsomely printed and designed, the collection has
been astutely edited by Ilan Stavans, the prolific author and
Amherst College professor who has done as much as anyone alive to
bridge the hemisphere's linguistic gaps, and it boasts an all-star
lineup of translators. In addition to Stavans they include W.S.
Merwin, Richard Wilbur, Lysander Kemp, James Merrill, Robert Bly,
Samuel Beckett and Ursula K. Le Guin. Many of the English-language
versions that appear here, alongside the originals, are as good as
we're likely to get for some time, perhaps ever. Most
significantly, this hefty volume shows the ethno-linguistic breadth
of what we lump under the monolithic term "Latin American" poetry.
Like Walt Whitman's poetic Self, the bards of Latin America
"contain multitudes." This volume includes works originally written
not only in Spanish and Portuguese, but also in French, slangy
Caribbean patois . . . and indigenous tongues, such as the Nahuatl
of Mexican poet Natalio Hernandez Xocoyotzin and the Mapuche of the
Chilean Elicura Chihuailaf . . . Poetry in Latin America is still
serious business and, as this fine collection reminds us, valued
sustenance." --Reed Johnson, Los Angeles Times"Anthologies like
this one are desperately necessary ... This anthology is alluring,
seductive. It gives us a glimpse of a poetic tradition that,
through translation, has bled across borders to soak into our own
... This anthology surpasses expectation. It is a book that will
quickly become indispensable for studying poetry in Latin America
in the twentieth century, and will certainly entice its students
and readers to dive in to explore its riches." --Erica Mena, The
Quarterly Conversation"A cornucopia of pleasures, some that come
with a sapient sting, FSG's new bilingual anthology of Latin
American poetry provides something for everyone in its great
variety and generous, ecumenical selection ... the sweep and
extravagance of mellifluous, unending lines ... create a daring
trance seldom indulged in by English-language writers ... The
varying styles of the translators ripple along pleasantly, as we
enjoy the works that W.S. Merwin, Alastair Reid, Richard Wilbur,
Stavans himself, and many others ... have produced over the years."
--Lynne Lawner, The Brooklyn Rail"From introspection to protest,
spirituality to eroticism, poets illuminate first cultures,
colonialism, tyranny, war, liberation, and love over the course of
the cataclysmic twentieth century, praising the beauty of the land
and lamenting the elusiveness of justice." --Donna Seaman,
Booklist, (starred review)"The most important and exciting
anthology to come out this year." --David Shook, Molosseus"The
reader dips into a dizzying array of styles, politics and
obsessions originally expressed in various languages--Spanish,
Portuguese, Quechua and Mazatec . . . For readers who can read the
originals, the translations can open new meaning and subtlety . . .
there is little to disagree with in the choices--of poets and their
poems." --Felipe Nieves, The Cleveland Plain Dealer
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 Marti (1853
1895), Stavans's selection runs from the lushly formal nationalisms
of a century ago (the Peruvian Jose 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.
"Publisher's Weekly (starred review)" A great introduction in
English to the vast diversity of 20th-century Latin American verse,
often as innovative as the Latin American novel. "Lawrence
Olszewski, Library Journal" I feel like a punching bag after
reading this anthology; repeatedly walloped by the force of the
original poems and again by the translations. I had never read
Mexican poets Enrique Gonzalez Martinez or Amado Nervo but for me
they are now linked with the vibrant translations written by Samuel
Beckett. I used to think Afro-Cuban author Nicolas Guillen's "Negro
Bembon" and "Tu no sabe ingle" were all about what gets lost in
translation from Cuban Spanish to American English. No more. Cuban
American novelist Achy Obejas has written a daring interpretation
that sounds just right in English. But it is Ursula K. Le Guin who
has written the best translation of the bunch. For best, I mean
effective plus beautiful. Le Guin's translation of a dreamy
Gabriela Mistral poem is so good that it's almost as if the
American and Chilean writers sat down to write the same work from
scratch in two languages at the same time. "The Sleep-Wave" and "La
Ola Del SueNo" read as if they were destined to be twinned. "Luis
Clemens, NPR" Handsomely printed and designed, the collection has
been astutely edited by Ilan Stavans, the prolific author and
Amherst College professor who has done as much as anyone alive to
bridge the hemisphere's linguistic gaps, and it boasts an all-star
lineup of translators. In addition to Stavans they include W.S.
Merwin, Richard Wilbur, Lysander Kemp, James Merrill, Robert Bly,
Samuel Beckett and Ursula K. Le Guin. Many of the English-language
versions that appear here, alongside the originals, are as good as
we're likely to get for some time, perhaps ever. Most
significantly, this hefty volume shows the ethno-linguistic breadth
of what we lump under the monolithic term "Latin American" poetry.
Like Walt Whitman's poetic Self, the bards of Latin America
"contain multitudes." This volume includes works originally written
not only in Spanish and Portuguese, but also in French, slangy
Caribbean patois . . . and indigenous tongues, such as the Nahuatl
of Mexican poet Natalio Hernandez Xocoyotzin and the Mapuche of the
Chilean Elicura Chihuailaf . . . Poetry in Latin America is still
serious business and, as this fine collection reminds us, valued
sustenance. "Reed Johnson, Los Angeles Times" Anthologies like this
one are desperately necessary ... This anthology is alluring,
seductive. It gives us a glimpse of a poetic tradition that,
through translation, has bled across borders to soak into our own
... This anthology surpasses expectation. It is a book that will
quickly become indispensable for studying poetry in Latin America
in the twentieth century, and will certainly entice its students
and readers to dive in to explore its riches. "Erica Mena, The
Quarterly Conversation" A cornucopia of pleasures, some that come
with a sapient sting, FSG's new bilingual anthology of Latin
American poetry provides something for everyone in its great
variety and generous, ecumenical selection ... the sweep and
extravagance of mellifluous, unending lines ... create a daring
trance seldom indulged in by English-language writers ... The
varying styles of the translators ripple along pleasantly, as we
enjoy the works that W.S. Merwin, Alastair Reid, Richard Wilbur,
Stavans himself, and many others ... have produced over the years.
"Lynne Lawner, The Brooklyn Rail" From introspection to protest,
spirituality to eroticism, poets illuminate first cultures,
colonialism, tyranny, war, liberation, and love over the course of
the cataclysmic twentieth century, praising the beauty of the land
and lamenting the elusiveness of justice. "Donna Seaman, Booklist,
(starred review)" The most important and exciting anthology to come
out this year. "David Shook, Molosseus" The reader dips into a
dizzying array of styles, politics and obsessions originally
expressed in various languages--Spanish, Portuguese, Quechua and
Mazatec . . . For readers who can read the originals, the
translations can open new meaning and subtlety . . . there is
little to disagree with in the choices--of poets and their poems.
"Felipe Nieves, The Cleveland Plain Dealer""
Ask a Question About this Product More... |