City Of a Hundred Fires (Pitt Poetry Series) [Paperback]

Richard Blanco (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pitt Poetry Series | Publication Date: October 1, 1998

Winner of the 1997 Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize. City of a Hundred Fires presents us with a journey through the cultural coming of age experiences of the hyphenated Cuban-American. This distinct group, known as the Generation (as coined by Bill Teck), are the bilingual children of Cuban exiles nourished by two cultural currents the fragmented traditions and transferred nostalgia of their parents' Caribbean homeland and the very real and present America where they grew up and live.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

It's easy to see why this debut won the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize. Born in Madrid of Cuban parents and raised in the United States, Blanco captures the tensions of moving between cultures in rhythmic, evocative poems. Observed LJ's reviewer, "Blanco is already a mature, seasoned writer, and his powers of description and determination to get every nuance correct are evident from the first poem" (LJ 9/1/98).
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Review

“It's easy to see why this debut won the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize. ...Blanco captures the tensions of moving between cultures in rhythmic, evocative poems. Observed LJ's reviewer, "Blanco is already a mature, seasoned writer, and his powers of description and determination to get every nuance correct are evident from the first poem."
--Library Journal

“Blanco is a fine young poet, and this poetry, the bread and wine of our language of exile, is pure delight, written with Lorca’s El Duende’s eyes and heart. May he continue to produce such a heavenly mix of rhythm and image—these poems are more than gems, they are the truth not only about the Cuban-American experience, but of our collective experience in the United States, a beautiful land of gypsies.”
--Virgil Suarez

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press; 1 edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822956837
• ISBN-13: 978-0822956839
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 6.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,465,268 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Voice, May 10, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: City Of a Hundred Fires (Pitt Poetry Series) (Paperback)

My tastes in poetry are usually kind of old fashioned. I was at the library to get a volume of Blake's poetry. The book I wanted wasn't on the shelf but Richard Blanco's was. I'm not sure what made me sit down and read it, what made me check it out from library, but I did. Blanco writes about a place and people I know little about, and yet his attention to place and relationships of all kind made me feel grounded in a real world, not an exoticized one. And I must admit, reading these poems made me think better of contemporary poetry.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Hyphen Between Two Nations, April 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: City Of a Hundred Fires (Pitt Poetry Series) (Paperback)

Blanco's recent book, City of a Hundred Fires, designs to map the heart caught in a watery span between two nations-- the conflict and nostalgia of a Cuban growing up in Miami, and what that means to him and the people that surround him. While the poems are focused on a hyphenated experience (Cuban-American), Blanco manages to transcend this focus with writing that is concise and imagistic, honest and intelligent-- a style that allows the reader entry into the the poems, into the two hearts that give this book its beat. These poems take the reader from the shore of 1950's Cuba to the poet's own shaving mirror, from the imagined genesis of Cuba to the poet's childhood memories and desires. These poems ring true as the space between his two countries, between what's in the heart and how to write it down. Blanco is going to be a poet to watch!

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cienfuegos, December 27, 1999

By 

Maria (Miami, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: City Of a Hundred Fires (Pitt Poetry Series) (Paperback)

Richard Blanco's "City of a Hundred Fires" is rich and ripe with images and emotion. Voicing the experience of many hyphenated Cuban-Americans, Blanco captures the beauty of the every day, the pain of a displaced community of exiles and their strength and determination in tackling a new country. He celebrates their resilience and mourns their losses -- emotional, psychological and physical. Referring to Cienfuegos, Cuba, "City of 100 Fires" is a beautiful and moving collection of poems that I have shared with many and will always keep close to my heart.