Ramon Lopez Velarde (1888-1921) was one of the most Mexican of Mexican poets, whose sense of history found expression in many poems, including his best-known "La suave Patria" ("Sweet Land"). This bilingual collection, drawn primarily from Poesias completas y el minutero, offers English-language readers our first book-length introduction to his poetry.

Often called a "poet of the provinces," Lopez Velarde gives us a glimpse into a slower and more gentle way of life. His poems present the contrast between city and hometown and between urban and pastoral landscapes. Through these contrasts runs the thread of religious faith, while urgency of language informs the entire body of his poetic production.

Original, specially commissioned drawings by noted contemporary Mexican artist Juan Soriano complement the poems. This combination of poetry and art speaks to universal emotions; indeed the poetry of Lopez Velarde belongs to everyone who sings the Song of the Heart.

About the Author
Corecipient of the first Gregory Kolovakos Award in 1992, Margaret Sayers Peden is a distinguished critic and translator of Latin American literature.

Reviews
This posthumous, bilingual collection of the works of Velarde (1888-1921), one of Mexico's most cherished poets who remains relatively unrecognized in the U.S., is a celebration of passion, that "song of the heart," in all its beautiful, tortured, contemplative, urgent glory. Peden's faithful translation allows the passionate perfection of Velarde's work, which consistently couples extravagant, consuming emotion with cool, formal precision, to shine through. Although there is much pain and anguish in these poems, sounded most consistently is the joyful music of simply being alive.... Soriano's sensual line drawings, created for this edition, are a deceptively simple visual complement of Velarde's streamlined, powerfully moving verse. * Publishers Weekly *



Book Information
ISBN 9780292746862
Author Ramon Lopez Velarde
Format Paperback
Page Count 114
Imprint University of Texas Press
Publisher University of Texas Press
Weight(grams) 454g