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"Not enough praise can be heaped on this impressively clean bilingual edition. . . . Lovers of good literature are indebted to the editors and translators and to Duke for making available a reliable Spanish text of the key work of Hispanic literary modernism's most celebrated poet, and along with it a faithful, felicitous, sonorous translation that rings with the vision and rhythms of the originals."—R.M. Fedorchek, CHOICE
"[T]he translators provide work that is unerringly faithful and illuminating. . . . [T]he English translation is elegant and accurate. This book is a true piece de résistance and will be eminently helpful and accessible to both the research scholar and the Spanish student. . . . [T]his book stands as a testament to what is possible with skills and commitment."—Naomi Millán, ForeWord
"This bilingual collection surely will fill an overdue gap in Hispanic literature. Beyond that, Dario's work is multifaceted and thought provoking. It should appeal to those who admire Lorca, Vallejo, and Neruda. . . . Translators Derusha and Acerda have clearly worked hard to present the real Dario, an innovative writer worthy of further examination."—Janet St. John, Booklist
"[With its] excellent introduction . . . Cantos de vida y esperanza will be of special value to scholars in literature and the liberal arts but will also appeal to general readers who are interested in great poetry. It should be welcome to everyone who appreciates the search for beauty, life's meaning and self-expression through art."—Charles Kargleder, The Latin Americanist
"[A] treasure trove. . . . [A] splendid edition. . . . Establishing an authoritative text of benefit to scholars working in Spanish as well as English, the editors provide an impressive and user-friendly glossary that sheds light on the sometimes bewildering allusions in this encyclopedic poetry; an exhaustive bibliography rounds out the c."ontribution. The translations themselves are painstakingly accurate. . . . Their superb edition brings Darío closer to the reader than previously possible in his anthologized appearances, giving a much broader sense of his startling range of reference, but also preserves the strangeness of the poetry, of the uncanny reach of his writing—Michelle Clayton, The Americas
“[T]he value of Derusha and Acereda’s excellent work lies in bringing to life in English the artistry of a spirit far removed from contemporary cynicism. Darío conceived his poetry as a gift, and Derusha and Acereda have insured that that gift can now be extended to a generation of readers in English.”—Todd S. Garth, Intertexts
"Not enough praise can be heaped on this impressively clean bilingual edition. . . . Lovers of good literature are indebted to the editors and translators and to Duke for making available a reliable Spanish text of the key work of Hispanic literary modernism's most celebrated poet, and along with it a faithful, felicitous, sonorous translation that rings with the vision and rhythms of the originals."—R.M. Fedorchek, CHOICE
"[T]he translators provide work that is unerringly faithful and illuminating. . . . [T]he English translation is elegant and accurate. This book is a true piece de résistance and will be eminently helpful and accessible to both the research scholar and the Spanish student. . . . [T]his book stands as a testament to what is possible with skills and commitment."—Naomi Millán, ForeWord
"This bilingual collection surely will fill an overdue gap in Hispanic literature. Beyond that, Dario's work is multifaceted and thought provoking. It should appeal to those who admire Lorca, Vallejo, and Neruda. . . . Translators Derusha and Acerda have clearly worked hard to present the real Dario, an innovative writer worthy of further examination."—Janet St. John, Booklist
"[With its] excellent introduction . . . Cantos de vida y esperanza will be of special value to scholars in literature and the liberal arts but will also appeal to general readers who are interested in great poetry. It should be welcome to everyone who appreciates the search for beauty, life's meaning and self-expression through art."—Charles Kargleder, The Latin Americanist
"[A] treasure trove. . . . [A] splendid edition. . . . Establishing an authoritative text of benefit to scholars working in Spanish as well as English, the editors provide an impressive and user-friendly glossary that sheds light on the sometimes bewildering allusions in this encyclopedic poetry; an exhaustive bibliography rounds out the c."ontribution. The translations themselves are painstakingly accurate. . . . Their superb edition brings Darío closer to the reader than previously possible in his anthologized appearances, giving a much broader sense of his startling range of reference, but also preserves the strangeness of the poetry, of the uncanny reach of his writing—Michelle Clayton, The Americas
“[T]he value of Derusha and Acereda’s excellent work lies in bringing to life in English the artistry of a spirit far removed from contemporary cynicism. Darío conceived his poetry as a gift, and Derusha and Acereda have insured that that gift can now be extended to a generation of readers in English.”—Todd S. Garth, Intertexts
“Rubén Darío is one of the world’s most splendid poets and one of the least known, partly because his revolutionary and hybrid style is almost untranslatable. Delighted readers will finally have a chance to plunge into the great Nicaraguan poet’s masterpiece and sing with him of life and hope.”—Ariel Dorfman, author of In Case of Fire in a Foreign Land: New and Collected Poems from Two Languages
“Will Derusha and Alberto Acereda give us a Rubén Darío that will be of immense interest to aficionados of poetry in Spanish, as well as to lay readers who have discovered the joys and pleasures of the likes of Federico García Lorca, Pablo Neruda, and Cesar Vallejo.”—Rafael Campo, author of Landscape with Human Figure
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Renowned for its depth of feeling and musicality, the poetry of Rubén Darío (1867–1916) has been revered by writers including Federico García Lorca, Pablo Neruda, and Octavio Paz. A leading figure in the movement known as modernismo, Darío created the modern Spanish lyric and permanently altered the course of Spanish poetry. Yet while his output has inspired a great deal of critical analysis and a scattering of translations, there has been, until now, no complete English translation of any of his books of poetry. This bilingual edition of Darío’s 1905 masterpiece, Cantos de vida y esperanza, fills a crucial gap in Hispanic and world literature studies. Will Derusha and Alberto Acereda have provided not only an elegant English translation of Darío’s work but also an authoritative version of the original Spanish text.
Written over the course of seven years and in many locales in Latin America and Europe, the poems in Cantos de vida y esperanza reflect both Darío’s anguished sense of modern life and his ecstatic visions of transcendence, freedom, and the transformative power of art. They reveal Darío’s familiarity with Spanish, French, and English literature and the wide range of his concerns—existential, religious, erotic, and socio-political. Derusha and Acereda’s translation renders Darío’s themes with meticulous clarity and captures the structural and acoustic dimensions of the poet’s language in all its rhythmic sonority. Their introduction places this singular poet—arguably the greatest to emerge from Latin America in modern literature—and his best and most widely known work in historical and literary context. An extensive glossary offers additional information, explaining terms related to modernismo, Hispanic history, mythological allusions, and artists and writers prominent at the turn of the last century.