Good Wolf, Bad Wolf

by Harkaitz Cano, Kristin Addis (Translator)

Harkaitz Cano, until now best known in English as a writer of fiction, comes out in this masterly translation as a magnificent poet as well—perhaps the foremost poet of what has been called the Basque City. Urbane, sometimes street-smart, knowing in the best way, these poems trace the record of a canny intelligence devoted to the mission of writing the twenty-first century in Europe’s oldest language.

Tack-sharp and with a wry humor, Cano’s speakers let us know the backstory of the good wolf and the bad wolf, the burdens of the bass player and the household that lives with a tiger: “Never mind how it got here.” Cano has nailed the natural law of excuses: “new excuses / will rise from the old. // You must always try to be better: / search and replace.” And, as the lyrical “Pianist on the Bridge” intimates, he also has personal knowledge of the major paradoxes: “only someone with good eyesight will hear the score.” A stunning collection of eminently rereadable poems. Elizabeth Macklin (Author of “You´ve Just Been Told”)

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

Harkaitz Cano Jauregi (1975) es uno de los mayores exponentes de la literatura vasca actual. Su trabajo se extiende por casi todos los géneros: cuento, novela, poesía, ensayo. Sus publicaciones más recientes son la novela «Twist» (2013) y el poemario «Compro oro» (2011). Colabora habitualmente con músicos y artistas de diferentes disciplinas. Como guionista de cómica ha publicado dos álbumes junto al dibujante Iñaki G. Holgado. Su obra ha sido traducida al inglés, al holandés, al italiano y al ruso, entre otros idiomas.