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The bilingual Nicolás Guillén

The lyrical work of Nicolás Guillén has transcended time. His poems became models for the development of Spanish-language literature of the 20th century. For that reason, his texts continue to provoke interest among readers and critics, beyond the islands borders. This was recently evidenced by the publication of "A Bilingual Anthology", (Editorial José Martí, 552 pp.), a selection of verses in English and Spanish by Cubas national poet.

Prepared by Jamaican researcher Keith Ellis, this book allows the reader to survey Guilléns poetry, covering several decades of his lyrical work and proposing a well-rounded familiarity with the themes and styles that characterize works that are always timely.

"A Bilingual Anthology" begins with writings from his youth, taken from "Cerebro y corazón". Then there are poems taken from "Motivos del son" (1930) and "Sóngoro cosongo" (1931), two paradigmatic books, both in the authors bibliography and in the context of Cuban and Hispanic-American poetry of that era.

Poems are also taken from, among others, "Cantos para soldados y sones para turistas" (1937), "La paloma de vuelo popular" (1958), "Tengo" (1964), "El gran zoo" (1967), "La rueda dentada" (1972) and "El diario que a diario" (1972).

Likewise, it includes works from "Por el mar de Las Antillas anda un barco de papel" (1977), the only childrens book written by Guillén.

Awarded the National Literature Prize in 1983, Nicolás Guillén (Camagüey 1902"Havana, 1989) was one of the most significant voices in Cuban literature in the past century. Along with a solid body of poetry, he was prolific in journalism, which is collected in three volumes under the title Prosa de prisa (1976).

Keith Ellis, in his introduction to "A Bilingual Anthology", writes that a career spanning some 60 years of poetic production enabled Guillén to achieve worldwide fame, and put him in the place of prominence he holds among Hispanic-American poets of the 20th century. Thanks to the perspicacity of his political and social discernment, he was always on the frontline of the Cuban revolutionary vanguard, Ellis comments.

The publication of "A Bilingual Anthology", with selection, translation and introduction by Keith Ellis "a scholar with thorough knowledge of Guilléns work" readers from other latitudes can discover a monumental body of work. Poetry that is strength and reason, honey and fruit, passion and commitment; an essential body of work in the panorama of the best poetry of all time.

Source: Cubarte


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