Imagine the Angels of Bread: Poems [Paperback]

Martín Espada (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 1997

"Don't let this book pass you by!"—Library Journal

Combining the personal with the political in his fifth collection, Martín Espada celebrates the bread of the imagination, the bread of the table, and the bread of justice. The heart of the collection is a series of autobiographical poems recalling family, school, neighborhood, and work experiences-from bouncer to tenant lawyer. There are moments of revelation and political transcendence here, which culminate in an elegy for the Puerto Rican poet Clemente Soto Velez, imprisoned for his advocacy of independence for Puerto Rico.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this fourth book, Espada "evokes the Hispanic experience in language at once brutal and luminiscent" (LJ 6/1/96). Definitely a poet to watch.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Martín Espada is well on his way to becoming the Latino poet of his generation. (Earl Shorris )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 107 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (November 17, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393316866
• ISBN-13: 978-0393316865
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > Hispanic

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Electrifying Poetry, June 4, 2002

By 

A. Hogan (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Imagine the Angels of Bread: Poems (Paperback)

At it's best, poetry illuminates the soul, bring the day to day up to the level of the angels.Martin Espada is an astonishing poet,and his books raise consciousness without becoming agitprop. The Title poem which serves as an introduction,is a scalding brilliant manifesto for all the dispossesed"This is ther year that squatters evict landlords/gazing like admirals from the rail of the roofdeck or levitating hands in praise of steam in the shower;/this is the year that shawled refugees deport judges/who stare at their swollen feet as filed are stamped with their destination/..." The poems that follow are equally superb,describing his father on a picket line, an owl in a tenament compared to God,Thomas jefferson and the declaration of food stamps, and others. Mr. Espada is a major poet , and a very very good one. His imagery is first rate,his fire and suppleness apparent in each poem. A wonderful collection by a superb poet and observer. Highest recommendation!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars espada's collection, December 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Imagine the Angels of Bread: Poems (Paperback)

Espada's Imagine the Angels of Bread is an incredible collection of poetry in which Espada protests social inequalities by depicting the Puerto Rican subaltern with graphic bluntness but uncompromised dignity. In addition, Espada's straight-forward tone and sensual imagery convey a raw pleasure in the Puerto Rican American experience. Espada's portrayal of injustice, told with an underlying sharp sarcastic humor raises social and political questions while voicing the poverty and anonymity of a marginalized social class. Espada's poems provide narratives of a voiceless class, critiquing an elitist society which oftentimes overlooks the significance of such stories. In this way, Espada provides a class which society oftentimes marginalizes to the point of invisibility with a voice that is both accusatory and visionary.
The brutal and violent imagery intermingled with straightforward narrative depicts controversial political and social issues with a sharp wit and startling poignancy. "Sing in the Voice of a God Even Atheists Can Hear," a poem addressing the arrest of poet Demetria Martinez for poetry allegedly illustrating her support of illegal immigrants, provides a blunt and stinging social commentary through its imagery and tone: "The prosecutor spoke `smuggling' as if two pregnant refugees were bundles of heroin, not fleeing a war of slit bellies. . ."
However, the true power and gift of Espada's work lies in his ability not to condense complex social situations into abrupt, everyday language, but rather his ability to transform the grotesqueness of everyday. Consequently, the author's voice is not limited to being accusatory, but rather attains a transcendent prophetic significance. In one of the collection's final poems, "Because Clemente Means Merciful," Espada depicts the birth and uncertain future of his young son. Although Espada does initially provide a sharp critique of society in his portrayal of the medical society treating his son, "the pediatrician who never called, the yawning intern, the hospital roommate's father from Guatemala, ignored by the doctors," the poem closes on a note of hope. The speaker is able to transcend a lack of resources and understands the significance of his son's emergence from sickness. Although his accusatory tone acknowledges a continued future of inequality, "I know someday you'll stand beside the Guatemalan fathers, speak in the tongue of all the shunned faces," the speaker ends on a powerful divine message of hope, "[You will] breathe in a music we have never heard, and live by the meaning of your name."

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Challenging, but Flawed Work, December 9, 2002

By 

Richard Cerow (Notre Dame, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Imagine the Angels of Bread: Poems (Paperback)

In this politically-charged, often raw collection, Espada presents a distinctly ethnic poetry which exposes the plight of the Latino in America. Despite its positive project, Espada occasionally stumbles on his own aggressive nature; the political outshines the poetic. This aggressive politicizing, in fact, often hurts his project, as the reduction of poetics many times ends up reducing his politics to simple sloganeering. Espada, despite my reservations, is still a poet worth investigating, as he often does allow the personal and the poetic to supercede his poltiticking. In fact, it is in these cases where his politics truly shine and the project of elevating the Latino peoples seems to take off. In cases such as this, where the personal allows the reader, especially those not as familiar with the Latino situation in America (such as myself), to enter into a dialogue with his work, Espada's project reaches the very audience whom he at times seems to be struggling against. This struggle, in fact, may very well be what causes the diminution of his poetry which I discussed earlier; Espada, fearful of making concessions to the majority and thus alienating his Latino audience or, worse, devaluing his political project, deliberately sabotages many of the works in this collection. Such a harsh atmosphere is created for the non-Latino through such violent political and poetic upheaval, that the gems to be found are often missed. However, this collection, though challenging, does lead to a good deal of reward, so long as one has the fortitude and foresight to sift through some of its more didactic pieces.