Poets of Contemporary Latin America

William Rowe, Jean Franco,

ISBN 10: 0198158920 / ISBN 13: 9780198158929

Published by Oxford University Press, 2000

About this Item

Signed by the author to Jean Franco, a prominent critic and theoretician of Latin American Literature. Hardcover in excellent overall condition. Clean, tight, well-bound, free of marks except for the signature. Dustjacket has some mild rubbing and creasing but still very attractive and now in brodart.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1697738852692

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Poets of Contemporary Latin America
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0198158920
• ISBN 13: 9780198158929
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

What came after Neruda and Vallejo? This is the first book to answer that question, presenting the new movements in Latin American poetry since 1950. Eight poets are selected, with substantial excerpts from their work and parallel translations in English: the test for inclusion is whether their writing expands the possibilities of poetry. Some - for example Juan L. Ortiz, Nicanor Parra, Gonzalo Rojas, Ana Enriqueta Terán - reached maturity well before mid-century, but have continued to explore new poetic expression in the decades since; the younger generation of poets chosen includes Ernesto Cardenal as well as lesser-known figures: Jorge Eduardo Eielson, Carmen Ollé, and Raúl Zurita. Together they display the new forms and languages of poetry which have been emerging in contemporary Latin America.

Revealing the freshness of the poems, as they invite new perceptions of the world and of language, is paramount in this study. Its method is to bring together poetics with cultural studies, presenting detailed readings of the work of each poet, as well as exposition and discussion of their poetics, especially where they grapple with the tensions between the inner self and history in the later twentieth century.

Review

This book is full of intense and intricate arguments and well-timed transitions. (Modern Language Review)

English translations will attract the non-specialist ... clear introduction ... A book that might answer those who insist on rigidly adhering to prose, it is a valuable addition to the field. (British Bulletin of Publications)

Rarely have those teaching Spanish poetry progressed beyond such important and influential poets as Neruda and Vallejo. However, Professor Rowe has successfully brought us up to date. (British Bulletin of Publications)

De-emphasizing the political and social without slighting their contributions to national identity, Rowe places the poets in a universal realm and offers a view that differs from that of most critics. Moreover, he never stretches the boundary of theory as the essays flow naturally from one poet to the next. The study is a tour de force that completely convinces the reader of the heretofore-ignored rich legacy of contemporary Latin American poetry. (Choice)