Selected Poems of Jorge Carrera Andrade

While Latin American poets such as Pablo Neruda, Jorge Luis Borges, and Octacio Paz have been receiving most of the attention of critics, the Ecuadorian poet Jorge Carrera Andrade had quietly continued writing his "transparent" poetry. Nevertheless, Carrera Andrade's poems are undoubtedly some of the best ever written in the Spanish language, and he has often been mentioned as a likely candidate for the Nobel Prize. In his poetic exploration of what he calls "the secret country of human existence," Carrera Andrade marvels at the beauty of the world. And this wonder is conveyed by means of dazzling, descriptive metaphors. Perhaps it could be said that the Ecuadorian poet always interprets the world visually, but his visual images constitute merely a metaphorical technique, around which he constructs his poems. In his verbal structures he expresses the transitory nature of life as well as the loneliness of man in the universe. He describes life in his native Ecuador, contemplates with compassion the plight of the Indians of his country, and denounces social injustices. More recently Carrera Andrade, concerned about the destiny of mankind, manifests his indomitable faith in humanity in the book Hombre planetario (1959), imagining a social utopia. Carrera Andrade has stated that his poetry is the result of "the intimate union of the senses and the intellect." And yet his poems remain "transparent." He rejects obscurity and complexity and chooses simplicity and clarity. He considers that "one of the essential goals of poetry is communion with other men" and that if his poetry cannot communicate "its emotive and sensorial content, it fails to accomplish its mission, which is the interpretation of the world." As to the universal meaning of his poetic work, Carrera Andrade would recall Goethe's phrase: "All my works are fragments of a great confession." He would characterize his own work as a confession of love both for humanity and for the wonders of this world. Carrera Andrade must be counted among the four or five best contemporary poets of Latin America. Whether he is awarded a Nobel Prize still remains to be seen, but there can be no doubt that in his poems one can detect the same literary excellence as in the work of Neruda, Paz, or Borges. Hopefully the work of this great Ecuadorian poet will soon be universally appreciated. In some of his works he can be compared to T. S. Eliot, Hölderlin, or Saint-Jean Perse. The publication of H. R. Hayes' translations will, for the first time, make available to English-speaking readers all of the significant verse of Carrera Andrade, beginning with some of his first pieces from La guirnalda del silencio (1926) and ending with translations from Posía última (1957 –1966).

Table of Contents:
Introduction La Guirnalda del Silencio 1926 Vida de la alacena / Life of the Cupboard Mal humor / Ill Humor Isolina / Isolina El reloj / The Clock La camanada de la una / The One O'Clock Bellnote Primavera & compañía / Spring and Company! Abril / April Meseta / High Plateau Canción breve del espantajo / Brief Song of the Scarecrow Bolentines de Mar y Tierra 1928-1930 Bolentín de viaje / Traveller's Bulletin Costas del día / Coasts of day El desayuno del mundo / The World's Breakfast Puerto a las ocho / Port at Eight O'Clock Guayaquil / Guayaquil La Habana / Havana Nueva York de noche / New York at Night Cuaderno de poemas indios 1928 Domingo / Sunday Sierra / Sierra Fiesta de San Pedro / Fiesta of San Pedro Indiada / Indian Crowd Levantamiento / Uprising El Tiempo Manual 1935 Soledad de las ciudades / Solitude of Cities Color de la Habana / The Color of Havana Edición de la tarde / Evening Edition Servicio / Service Poemas de pasado mañana / Poems of the Day After Tomorrow La alquimia vital / The Alchemy of life Lugar de origen 1945-1947 Días impares / Displaced Days Tributo a la noche / Tribute to Night Aquí yace la espuma / Here Lies the Seafoam Juan sin cielo / John Without Sky La llave del fuego / The Key of Fire Familia de la noche 1952-1953 Familia de la noche / Family of Night Dictado por el agua / Dictated by the Water Las armas de la luz / Weapons of Light Hombre planetario 1957-1963 Invectiva contra la luna / Invective Against the Moon Aurosia / Aurosia Taller del tiempo / Time's Worship El condenado / The Condemned Hombre planetario / Planetary Man Los terrícolas / The Terrestrians Teoría del guacamayo / Theory of the Macaw Ocaso de Atahualpa / Death of Atahualpa Los antepasados / The Ancestors Cronica de las indias 1965 El pacificador / The Peacemaker El alba llama a la puerta 1965-1966 Jornada existencial / Existential Journey La mina más alta / The Loftiest Mine Descumbrimiento / Discovery Yo soy el bosque / I am the Forest Fantasma de las granjuas / A Dream of Farmhouses Estación penltimūa / The last Station No hay / Not Any Islas niponas / Japanese Islands Les Halles / Les Halles Humboldt / Humboldt Transfiguración de la lluvia / Transfiguration of the Rain Agua germinal / Germinal Water Invocación al aire / Invocation to the Air Dios de alegría / God of Joy Lenguas vivas / Living Tongues Del "Libro del destierro" / From "The Book of Exile" Estaciones de Stony Brook / Seasons of Stony Brook

About the Author :
H.R. Hays is a novelist, playwright, and author of numerous works of non-fiction. His Selected Poems were published in 1968. He has translated the Selected Poems of Bertolt Brecht, the Selected Writings of Juan Ramon Jimenes, and a novel, The Stone Knife, by the Mexican, José Revueltas. His Twelve Spanish-American Poets, first published in 1943, will be reissued in 1972.