The School of Solitude: Collected Poems

by Luis Hernández, Anthony Geist (Translation)

Peruvian poet Luis Hernández is legendary in his native country. Haunted by addiction and spending periodic reclusion in rehabilitation centers, Hernández was exceptionally gifted in his youth, publishing three books of poetry by the time he was twenty-four. He did not publish another book before his untimely death at thirty-six, but he was not silent—he filled notebooks with poems, musical notations, quotes, translations, musings, newspaper clippings, and drawings.
           
Derived from these notebooks, The School of Solitude is the first book of Hernández’s poetry in English. The haunting voice of Hernández evokes an irrevocably distant past, with the poems contemplating happiness and joy, love and fulfillment, yet always with a sense of sadness, solitude, and dream. Including rare images from Hernández’s notebooks, as well as several poems never before published in any language, The School of Solitude will be read not only for its powerful poetry and imagery, but also as a means to learn more about this enigmatic Latin American poet and the mystery of his life and work.

Genres: Poetry

167 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2014

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Achingly beautiful - beauty exorcised from pain. Luis Hernández is able to distill pain in a way that is both powerful and unique; there are echoes of Federico García Lorca in this look at the different ways solitude joins with us. Short yet very deep observations help the reader to see life from the shore of wanting that they must walk alone.