E. Rowan Mena

Poet | Book Artist | Translator

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Bernardo Silfa (DR Books #5)

February 12, 2011 by E. Rowan

Máscara de la imago by Bernardo Silfa. Casa de Teatro, 2005). Bernardo Silfa (1964-) doesn’t appear to be very prolific. This slim volume, a single sequence of 25 poems, seems to be his second book of poems. But it won the prestigious Internacional de Poesía de Casa de Teatro. His work has been included in two recent anthologies, and written about critically. This work edges on the transcendental and the metapoetic, is definitively lyrical and sonically dense. http://palabralma-palabralma.blogspot.com/2010/02/en-bernardo-silfa-bor-los-caminos-de-la.html

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: Bernardo Silfa, Dominican Republic, poetry

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Freddy Gatón Arce (DR Books #4)

February 12, 2011 by E. Rowan

La canción de la hetera by Freddy Gatón Arce. Editora Taller, 1992. Freddy Gatón Arce (1920-1994) is a founding member of “Poesía Soprendida,” poet and journalist. He’s won just about every major literary award in the Dominican, his work is the subject of much critical study across Latin America. As far as I can tell his work is wholly unavailable in English. This book is a slim, non-representative volume, but they didn’t have his complete works which I’m still trying […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: Dominican Republic, Freddy Gatón Arce, Poesía Soprendida, poetry

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Franklin Mieses Burgos (DR Books #3)

February 12, 2011 by E. Rowan

Obras Completas by Franklin Mieses Burgos. Colección Bibliófilos, 2000. Franklin Mieses Burgos (1907-1976) was a member of the literary movement “Poesía Soprendida” (lit. “Surprised Poetry”); strongly surrealist and simultaneously anti-dictatorial. A critic describes his work as characterized by profound lyricism, at times existential, at times political, and almost always surreal. It falls into three categories: the hermetic (strongly surreal), the formal and classic sonnets, and the popular. The critic believes the surreal work to be his best. He is considered […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: Dominican Republic, Franklin Mieses Burgos, modernismo, Poesía Soprendida, poetry, vanguardismo

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Mateo Morrison (DR Books #2)

February 12, 2011 by E. Rowan

Ojos de madre, vientos de guerra by Mateo Morrison. Mateo Morrison (1946-) is a poet-lawyer who upholds the tradition of advocacy in his work. He’s published 36 books of poetry, criticism and essays. In 2010 he was awarded the National Literature Prize, which is the most significant literary prize in the Dominican Republic. He’s incredibly prolific, and clearly indebted to Neruda in his work. This book is written for the 45th anniversary of the revolution in April 1965 which led […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: Dominican Republic, Mateo Morrison, poetry, political poetry, translation

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José Enrique García (DR Books #1)

February 11, 2011 by E. Rowan

El fabulador: Poesía reunida, 1977-2002 by José Enrique García. A good sign for me that I’m interested in a book is if I immediately start coming up with possible translations in my head as I’m reading it. And that happened for me with the title of this anthology, which is also the title of García’s second book which won a significant poetry prize. I want to translate it “The Fabulator” though I recognize that “Fabulist” is the literal word. I […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: Dominican Republic, José Enrique García, poetry

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Femi-lision, Dominican women and VIDA

February 11, 2011 by E. Rowan

I’m about done writing up my book purchases from the Dominican Republic, which I’ll begin posting soon enough, and more for me to keep track of them in one place than anything else (though perhaps someone will find them interesting/useful). Anyway, there’s been a lot of hubbub this past week since VIDA released their study on the representation of women in publishing. Unsurprisingly, the situation is not so good. Fewer (by half or more) women are published or reviewed by […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: Dominican Republic, gender theory, poetry, translation, VIDA, women poets

2

This Lamentable City

February 10, 2011 by E. Rowan

This Lamentable City by Polina Barskova, translated by Ilya Kaminsky and others. Tupelo Press, 2010. I was deeply impressed with this slight volume packed with sensual, visceral language that borders often on the grotesque. It is startling, rhythmically potent work that uses lines and enjambment to great effect, something I often find lacking in contemporary poetry both in original-language and in translation. Here, the English of the (collaborative) translation works carefully with rhythm and sound, but without drowning out the […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: Ilya Kaminsky, poetry, Polina Barskova, review, translation, Tupelo Press

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Alfredo Matilla Rivas (PR Books #8)

February 2, 2011 by E. Rowan

yo no soy novia de nadie by Alfredo Matilla Rivas (Editorial Renopla, 1973). Alfredo Matilla Rivas (1938-2001) was a renowned diaspora poet and playwright, as well as Pedro Pietre’s translator into Spanish. A comprehensive biography for him is here, and they say: “In literature, he published two books of poetry, titled Yo no soy novia de nadie (1973) and Catálogo de locos (1978). In his verses, he used a prosaic tone to describe both the social and political conditions of Puerto Ricans.” He taught […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: Alfredo Matilla Rivas, experimental poetry, poetry, political poetry, Puerto Rico

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Raúl Guadalupe de Jesús (PR Books #8)

February 2, 2011 by E. Rowan

El tierno vidrio de la noche by Raúl Guadalupe de Jesús (Ediciones Huracán, 2006). As a designer, I can’t help but judge a book by its printing (not just its cover) and this book is hard to look at. The font is stylized and sans-serif, the paper glossy and reflective, and frankly the whole thing makes my eyes hurt. I wouldn’t have gotten this book, except it was strongly recommended. The book is a single long poem in sequence, that […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: poetry, Puerto Rico, Raúl Guadalupe de Jesús

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Israel Ruiz Cumba (PR Books #7)

February 2, 2011 by E. Rowan

encuentros de memoria by Israel Ruiz Cumba (Isla Negra, 1996). Israel Ruiz Cumba (1961-) is a professor at St. Mary’s College. His bio is here. He has two published books of poetry, this and a more recent 2007 book called Un abecedario para Eva Leite which also looks interesting. That’s about it, on the web. There is a limited preview in Google books of this book here. For having little to no information available (no reviews, no blurbs, no poems popping […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: poetry, Puerto Rico

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