Astonishing World: The Selected Poems of Angel Gonzalez, 1956-1986 [Paperback]

Steven Ford Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 1993

A member of Spain's Generation of 1950, Gonzalez writes with simplicity, restraint, and occasional humor about social injustice and the contradictions and trivialities of daily life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Reading the poems Gonzalez published from 1956 through the early 1960s, it is easy to understand the critical acclaim he received in his native Spain. Reminiscent of Lorca's ballads, these short poems vie with their harsh subject matter to achieve a hard-won lyricism. Though Gonzalez was a child when Franco came to power (perhaps accounting for his enchanting ability to transform disaster into hope), the adult who recalls "A revolution. / Then a war" vividly recreates the conflicts the child escaped. In his later work, Gonzalez experiments with different styles and the originality of his voice is destroyed. His poems grow longer, more overtly political and rhetorical. Selections from a 1967 volume focus on contemporary culture and the lurking presence of dictatorial control: "the military / (discharged at retirement, without swords / or rifles, just / arthritis and insignia)." He also embraces an animalistic if tongue-in-cheek surrealism: "If I'm in the city / I snack on just dry afternoons: / I slowly chew the minutes / --after first removing their bones." Although this bilingual volume includes selections from two books published since 1972, when Gonzalez took up residence in the U.S., Brown has wisely chosen more liberally from the early work.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A member of Spain's Generation of 1950, Gonzalez writes with simplicity, restraint, and occasional humor about social injustice and the contradictions and trivialities of daily life. His work ranges from the optimism of "The earth/ persists in being beautiful" to the pessimism of a world where our "parachutes will not open" and our problems will proliferate like rats. While confirming the "utter uselessness of all words" in one poem, in another he concedes that the ink of a poet can impregnate more effectively than semen. Gonzalez, who has lived in the United States since 1974, enjoys the irony of being called a realist by critics when to his relatives his literary occupation is anything but realistic. The selections are from nine volumes of the author's work and include a useful chronology. Recommended for all poetry collections.
- Jack Shreve, Allegany Community Coll., Cumberland, Md.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Milkweed Editions; 1st edition (August 10, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0915943581
• ISBN-13: 978-0915943586
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,724,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deep, lyrical... and ironic, January 23, 2005

By 

Mar Calpena (Barcelona, Spain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Astonishing World: The Selected Poems of Angel Gonzalez, 1956-1986 (Paperback)

Now, I'm quite biassed here. Ángel González is one of my favourite poets, so how I should not give this antology 5 stars? So let me give a few reasons why this book is worth reading:
a) The poem "Before I could call myself Ángel González". Just for it, the book would be already worth buying. And if you are not convinced, read "Birthday", too.
b) Because Ángel González is such a different voice to everything else going on in Spanish poetry presently
c) González's detached lyricsm is neither sentimental nor cold, striking a middle chord hard to find.
Mr. González has quite an intimate voice, which comes across quite well in this antology's translation.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great collection of Angel Gonzalez' work, February 8, 2004

By 

J. Garcia "freckles_n_curls" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Astonishing World: The Selected Poems of Angel Gonzalez, 1956-1986 (Paperback)

This is a great collection of Angel Gonzalez' work. He is truly one of the greatest Spanish poets of the 20th century. This bilingual edition has incredible translations that are very close to the original spirit of his poetry. Friends that were previously intimidated by poetry found his poetry and especially this collection very accessible.