Edible Amazonia: Twenty One Poems From God's Amazonian Recipe Book [Mass Market Paperback]

Nicomedes Suarez-Arauz (Author), Steven Ford Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 2002

Poetry. "Nicomedes Suarez-Arauz, Amazonian poet extraordinaire, has fashioned a collection of poems unique in the poetry of Latin America. Upon entering the poems of EDIBLE AMAZONIA the reader encounters abundant images, enticing flavors and, even more remarkable, a path brimming with fauna, trees, flowers and symbols that exhort us to the possibilities of delight that is the domain of true poetry. These texts are exquisite and enthrall the senses and palate with their allusiveness. In them, imagination and poetry conjoin to create a disturbing, graceful and mysterious language that ushers us into magic, myth, and dream"-from prologue by Marjorie Agosin.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nicomedes Suarez-Arauz was born in the Amazonian Bolivian town of Santa Ana in 1946. He is a poet, fiction writer, essayist and visual artist. He has published eleven books, including six volumes of poetry. In 1978 he was awarded Bolivia's national Premio Edicion, "Franz Tamayo" for his book Caballo al anochecer (Horse at Nightfall). He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and has been a member of the Spanish and Portuguese Department at Smith College since 1987. He is the editor of the first Pan-American journal, Amazonian Literary Review.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Bitter Oleander Press (February 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966435834
• ISBN-13: 978-0966435832
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,008,342 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Flash on the Contemporary Poetic Horizon, April 25, 2005

By 

John Michael Albert "John-Michael Albert" (Portsmouth NH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Edible Amazonia: Twenty One Poems From God's Amazonian Recipe Book (Mass Market Paperback)

I read three or four books of poetry a week. It is a serious habit. Recently, I was invited to read poetry at a Jazz Brunch. In search of "food" poetry, I stumbled across this thin volume. I cannot over-recommend it. The poems achieve their effect through simplicity of language -- both in Spanish and in English -- and an almost naively simple device: political outrage stated through what are presented as recipes. I deeply admire most World Poetry because, unlike popular or academic American poetry, it is fundamentally political and manages to still be truly great. This is one of the most breathtaking examples I've read in a long time. Consider: 100 pages, 30 of them introductory material, the rest, facing-page translations. And I was still bowled over.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brillantly Bittersweet, September 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Edible Amazonia: Twenty One Poems From God's Amazonian Recipe Book (Mass Market Paperback)

With a brillantly chosen, deceptive simplicity of words, the Amazon is brought to delicious and haunting life. Enter this magical mythic world and prepare to be spun around, astounded and challenged. Slyly humorous, deeply poignant,and politically insightful; it is reminiscent of the work of Pablo Neruda. The richness of the Amazon and the plight of that beautiful land will linger with you long after reading these poems.