Light from a Nearby Window: Contemporary Mexican Poetry

by Juvenal Acosta (editor)

Light from a Nearby Window introduces a new generation of poets who have become a driving force in Mexican literature today. Until quite recently, contemporary Mexican poetry has been little-known and virtually unavailable to English-speaking readers. This bilingual anthology includes twenty-one poets—twelve men and nine women—all of who have received national and international recognition. In poems about sexuality and spirituality, politics and marginalization, history and tradition, urban and rural life, they write about the unique experience of being Mexican at the end of the millennium. Juvenal Acosta was born in Mexico City in 1961. He studied economics in Mexico City, and philosophy in Michoacán, where he lived, miraculously, as a poet. He is the author of the award-winning Diciendo unas palabras negras and Paper of Live Flesh. He lives in Berkeley, California.

Genres: Poetry, Anthologies

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone would enjoy reading this poetry collection due to English translations being on the righthand page. I haven't read poetry written in Spanish (by Mexican poets) for a few years, so I was grateful for the translation being so handy. Just a few caveats -- having a knowledge of Mexican culture helps understand the poems; I didn't quite agree with all the translations but I am not a professional translator; and finally beware of a few typos.