Apocalypse, and Other Poems [Paperback]

Ernesto Cardenal (Author), Robert Pring-Mill (Editor, Introduction), Donald D. Walsh (Series Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 17, 1974

Cardenal, Apocalypse and Other Poems. Poems for revolution.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Spanish (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 102 pages
• Publisher: New Directions Publishing (January 17, 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811206629
• ISBN-13: 978-0811206624
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,801,075 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Revolutionary, lover, Christian, mystic, February 15, 2004

By 

J. Ott "John Ott" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Apocalypse, and Other Poems (Hardcover)

Cardenal is a bit of all things, and never more so than in this collection. The editors have selected "representative" poems from several phases of his career. The poems are translated by several people, including Kenneth Rexroth, father of the beats, and Thomas Merton, Cardenal's longtime friend and official translator until Merton's untimely death.

One of the most moving and important poems in the collection is "Coplas on the Death of Merton." APOCALYPSE AND OTHER POEMS also includes Cardenal's early "Epigrams" (my favorite), several devotional poems based upon biblical passages, his mystical long-poem "Apocalypse" and his Native-American inspired long-poem "Recordings of the Sacred Pipe."

I personally think Cardenal didn't hit his stride until ESTRECHO DUDUSO (THE DOUBTFUL STRAIT) and CANTICO COSMICO (COSMIC CANTICLE). His revolutionary poems come off very strident and his devotionals dogmatic. They do allow you to see how he modified his style to more effectively convey his rhetorical points later.

The big drawback to this book for me is that it doesn't contain the original Spanish versions of the poems. Since I don't have them, I can't judge how good the translations are -- although they all seem competent. There is definitely a big Pound influence in Cardenal, and I'm sure that drove the translators nuts. In the plus column, the book has a brief but excellent introduction that gives background on Cardenal, Merton and the poems. The book also has a small but handy glossary.

Fans of Cardenal's other books should most definitely read this one, unless they have access and ability to read the original Spanish texts, of course. Those who haven't read Cardenal will probably have difficulty assimilating all the different personas presented in this collection. I recommend John Lyons' translation of THE DOUBTFUL STRAIT as a good introduction to the revolutionary/historian Cardenal, and his COSMIC CANTICLE for those who like mystic poets like Blake and Ginsburg. This is a shorter work than those, and for hardy folks willing to jump right in, you will be able to find which persona of Cardenal most interests you and go from there. Buena suerte.

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars ernesto cardenal Bites the dust once again, June 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Apocalypse, and Other Poems (Paperback)

ive read this book in 1986 , this writings really show a kind of pscicodelic spiritual journey just like Castaneda that i would also recomend to anyone to adults and children ,, is like all this indian children stories dealing between the earth and the spirit world and making the medium thru life in a very significant way you wont forget.