Four

by Mónica de la Torre

Characterized by its rejection of experiential and narrative linearity, Mónica de la Torre's FOUR exposes and deconstructs the scaffolding of time. De la Torre posits "all writing is prediction," and the reader is privy to the evolution of the speaker's discourse as her predictions are both fulfilled and disappointed, necessitating amendment and revision. FOUR reads like a daydream transcribed, full of meditations on the weather, photographs, strangers on the subway, and the power of language to document, anticipate, and break down the barriers of time. When de la Torre writes that "we strive to tolerate being strictly in the moment," readers cannot help but nod in agreement.

Genres: Poetry

63 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Mónica de la Torre is co-author of the book Appendices, Illustrations & Notes (Smart Art Press) with artist Terence Gower, and co-editor, with Michael Wiegers, of Reversible Monuments: Contemporary Mexican Poetry (Copper Canyon Press). She edited and translated the volume Poems by Gerardo Deniz, published by Lost Roads and Taller Ditoria, and has translated numerous other Spanish-language poets. Born and raised in Mexico City, she moved to New York in 1993. She has been the poetry editor of The Brooklyn Rail since 2001 and is pursuing a PhD in Spanish Literature at Columbia University. Her work has appeared in journals including Art on Paper, BOMB, Bombay Gin, Boston Review, Chain, Circumference, Fence, Mandorla, Review: Latin American Literature and Arts, and Twentysix. Talk Shows is her first book of original poetry in English.