Solar Poems

by Homero Aridjis, George McWhirter (Translator)

A book of cosmological surrealism in the tradition of Octavio Paz, Solar Poems is the first English translation of a single volume of poems by Mexico’s famed poet-diplomat Homero Aridjis, exploring political consciousness as well as visionary psychological themes. President emeritus of International PEN, the prolific poet is Mexico’s ambassador to UNESCO. Poemas solares ( Solar Poems ) was published in 2005. Translator George McWhirter won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize for Catalan Poems , the F.R. Scott Prize for Selected Poems of José Emilio Pacheco , and the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize for his novel Cage . He is Vancouver’s first Poet Laureate. "Homero Aridjis is a profoundly ecological poet who has put his fame and time where his principles are, fighting to save the monarch butterflies that winter by the billions in the mountains of his native Michoacán, the sea turtle that lays her eggs on Caribbean beaches, and the gray whale that calves in the lagoons of Baja California. Aridjis writes to the point, with an open eye and a sense of humor . . . "—John Oliver Simon, Poetry Flash

Genres: Poetry

280 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2005

About the author

Homero Aridjis, a Mexican writer and diplomat, was born to a Greek father and Mexican mother; he was the youngest of five brothers. As a child, Aridjis would often walk up a hillside near his home to watch the migrating monarch butterflies. As he grew older logging thinned the forest. This and other events in his life caused him to co-found the Grupo de los Cien, the Group of 100, an association of one hundred artists and intellectuals that became heavily involved in trying to draw attention to and solve environmental problems in Mexico.

Aridjis has published 38 books of poetry and prose, many of them translated into a dozen languages. His achievements include: the Xavier Villarrutia Prize for best book of the year for Mirándola dormir, in 1964; the Diana-Novedades Literary Prize for the outstanding novel in Spanish, for Memorias del nuevo mundo, in 1988; and the Premio Grinzane Cavour, for best foreign fiction, in 1992, for the Italian translation of 1492, Vida y tiempos de Juan Cabezón de Castilla.1492 The Life and Times of Juan Cabezon of Castile was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Twice the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, Aridjis has taught at Indiana University, New York University and Columbia, and held the Nichols Chair in Humanities and the Public Sphere at the University of California, Irvine. The Orion Society presented him with its John Hay Award for significant achievement in writing that addresses the relationship between people and nature. He received the Prix Roger Caillois in France for his poetry and prose and the Smederevo Golden Key Prize for his poetry. In 2005 the state of Michoacan awarded him the first Erendira State Prize for the Arts. Eyes to See Otherwise: Selected Poems of Homero Aridjis is a wide-ranging bilingual anthology of his poetry.

Excerpted from Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Leopoldo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ni tan malo como dicen, ni tan bueno como solía.

[Giovanni Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

"De un tiempo para acá me ha dado en soñar con volcanes"

[Malcolm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyrical and moving. Much like Pablo Neruda seranaded the sea in his book, “On the Blue Shores of Silence”, Aridjis does the sun in this collection. A beautiful and generously collection of poetry by one of the most important poets of our time.
Read my review on The Current Reader.
http://thecurrentreader.com/?p=139

[Krishna Avendaño · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poesía limpia y sin artificios.

[Lucyluck735 · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary poet who deserves to be read far more widely. Yes, indeed.

[Lisha Adela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am disappointed at the lack of originality in these poems. I just blogged that maybe I am disenfranchised from the Mexican contemporary aesthetic but I still need more. The translation by George McWhirter left me cringing in places as well. For Example in the poem Driver Death,the line, "La muerte arranca" which is translated as "Death puts the pedal to the medal," in context could indicate that death takes off (as in a hurry) but "arrancar el coche" also can mean to start the car or it can also mean "to grab". So it is alas the bane of translation. In any case, I would have never chosen such an urban U.S. English expression as "pedal to the medal". There are lines that are so cliché that I thought this can't be one of Mexico's most famous poets? For example: "The sun's song is made of light" or "my days passed without memory or regrets, living in the certainty of the moment like an animal or a god. This others call happiness." I know in contemporary Latin American literature you have the artistry of the metaphysics as a common expression. I also know the intent of the moment can be defined by the styles known as the "thin line" or "thick line". By that I mean that a thin line is in and of itself, self explanatory and contributes to the whole of a poem. The "thick line" is a line so full of metaphor and "thick with meaning and innuendo" that it is almost unintelligible. But if you were educated enough you would capture many of the meanings for a satisfying read. A good example of a contemporary Mexican poet of the "thick line" is Gustavo Armenta Malpica. Thin lines can also have deep meaning in larger contexts. I finished the book yearning for Jack Myers and Betsy Sholl in English or Mario Benedetti of Uruguay in Spanish.

[City Lights Booksellers & Publishers · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Homero Aridjis’s poems open a door into the light."
—Seamus Heaney

"A visionary poet of lyrical bliss, crystalline concentrations and infinite spaces."
—Kenneth Rexroth

"In the poetry of Homero Ardjis there is the gaze, the pulse of the poet . . . the discontinuous time of practical and rational life and the continuity of desire and death; there is the poet’s personal truth."
—Octavio Paz

"Luminous in the clarity of its language and its poetic vision, Solar Poems will dazzle the reader."
--Odile Cisneros, Review: Literature and Arts of the Americas

"Solar Poems is a profoundly spiritual and uplifting exploration of the self and the universe around us. Aridjis' poetry examines that ever elusive search for a sense of self — both from the intensely intimate reflection on loved ones past and present, and the search for the all encompassing Tao of one's purpose and place in the greater whole."

"Throughout, Aridjis seamlessly blends psychological spaciness with ethereal political subversion. "
—Fenn O'Berg, Indie Street Radio
—Apis Teicher, Pacific Rim Review of Books

"McWhirter captures the spirit of the original Spanish. The poetic language, images, rhythm, humor, emotions, and the rich Mexican cultural segments combine to create a unique lyrical collection in English and Spanish. It is an enjoyable and inspiring book of poetry that addresses Aridjis's deep respect for nature and his hope for its preservation for future generations."
--Alva V. Cellini

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world of Solar Poems is inhabited by spiders, mosquitos, dogs, cats, shadows and draculas. It is a world full of beautiful contradictions: sun/night, light/dark, dreams/nightmares and poetry. Surreal and fantastical, the poems are always somehow very real. The book has a mix of styles, all well executed – narratives, short works, long poems. I highly recommend this book. In fact, I did something I rarely do with translated poetry and tried to read the Spanish poems. I don’t have much Spanish vocabulary, and only French grammar, but still, the poems are clear and gorgeous, even in my halting speech. Because my Spanish is not very advanced, I’m not the best judge of the translations. However, from what I could read, the translations are well done and well considered. McWhirter and Aridjis’ relationship is long-lasting, and there is a poem dedicated to McWhirter in Solar Poems.

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mirándola dormir fue lo primero que leí de Homero Aridjis, y desde entonces vuelvo a sus versos cada vez que puedo, en busca de ese aliento. Me agradan sus versos que van del erotismo y la sensualidad a la dimensión cósmica, pasando por la preocupada conciencia ecológica. No cabe duda que un buen poeta trabaja con el lenguaje -ardua tarea- hasta hacer que parezca fácil trazar los susurros de la musa:

Hay poemas que se hacen en la boca,
hay poemas que salen de la garganta,
hay poemas que emergen del estómago
diciendo todo y nada. (112)

La poesía, vuelve entonces a su origen sagrado. A su tono admonitorio:

El juicio final no será el día de la resurrección de los muertos,
será el día de la resurrección de los ciegos:
entonces miraremos el mundo que no hemos visto. (110)

[Matthewsherling · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://cuttyspot.tumblr.com/post/3060...

[Brian Brogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top tier -