Between Two Worlds

by Américo Paredes

Between Two Worlds is a life’s work in poetry by the famous folklorist, novelist and mentor of at least two generations, of Chicano scholars and writers. Between Two Worlds is a selection of Paredes’ poetry from the 1930s and 1940s which was published in Texas newspapers. Consequently the poetry has both historical and literary merit. Paredes calls his poems “the scribblings of a ‘proto-Chicano’ of a half-century ago.” He is indeed the one clear forerunner of the flourishing of Chicano literature that occurred in the last two decades; his themes, styles and political stances have all become the mainstays of today’s literature and world view.

Genres: Poetry

141 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I initially checked out this book to see if there's anything in here that would help me understand George Washington Gomez a little better, but then I started leafing through the poems, and once I started reading them, I couldn't stop. I wish I had a better comprehension of Spanish but from what I could read it sounds beautiful. Of course, not all of his poetry is written in Spanish, so this collection is very accessible to everyone. I love how he's able to write about depressing stuff while poking humor into it to lighten the mood. I would say "Pito Perez's Epitaph," "Army of Occupation Types," and "Song of the Gigolo" are my top three favorites, and I love how he used a dialect in "The Mexico-Texan." It makes it sound very authentic.