Tropical Town and Other Poems

by Salomón de la Selva

Poetry. Latino/a Studies. The Nicaraguan-born poet Salomon de la Selva poses a unique and fascinating case in the recovery of U.S. Hispanic literature. The challenge of studying de la Selva's first published collection of poetry, TROPICAL TOWN AND OTHER POEMS, arises as soon as we attempt to trace its literary lineage.... TROPICAL TOWN represents the first English-language collection of poetry by a Hispanic writer in the United Sates -- a fact unknown to most scholars and students of Hispanic-American literature ... The hopes and visions within the pages of this poetic collection seek to move and inspire the American reader as well as reflecting the hopes and aspirations of Hispanic-Americans. TROPICAL TOWN constitutes de la Selva's call to all of us to build a bridge of understanding and solidarity between the continent's English- and Spanish-speaking peoples -- Silvio Sirias, from the Introduction.

Genres: Poetry

161 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1918

Reviews

[Cesar Erhard · Rating 5 out of 5]

De la Selva’s poetry uses traditional forms established through European aesthetics in a productively new way, radically challenging hierarchical institutions of “false erudition.” As a Nicaraguan American, a pan-american, de la Selva exists in a liminal abject space, and through his effective utilization of traditional aesthetics expresses himself in two poetic realms. De la Selva’s poetry collection represents the first works written in English by a Latin American writer in the United States. In turning to his country of Nicaragua and exploring its tropicality through the lens of American perspectives and memories of his homeland, De la Selva deals with a reclamation of identity. He claims ownership over the narratives and political relationship between the US and Latin America, expressing what is so distinct to his country as a way to bridge his fractured identity with the one established in his work.