Panoramas [Paperback]

Victor Hernandez Cruz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997

Dancing in your hands, Panoramas illuminates Latin American/Caribbean culture in the U.S. and abroad.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This book, a poetic quintet offering both prose and poetry, develops a set of variations around the themes of displacement and bilingualism. The opening autobiographical essay, "Home Is Where the Music Is," leads into the second segment, "The Age of Sea Shells Revisited," the focus of which is the clash of cultures. The staccato rhythms of the third set, "Pana/Ramas," conjure up the spirit of Cruz's Puerto Rican homeland, from which he emigrated as a lad. In the fourth section, the poet defends his Spanishness and ars poetica ("Poetry is a river in the language. Paddle and you will get there") and recapitulates the theme of migration from his earlier Red Beans (LJ 10/1/91). The poems of the coda, "Primer Sonido," are entirely in Spanish. A mood of gentle satire and witty wordplay ("The past in the smoke of the cigar,/ Bringing the future information") further bond the pieces. Cruz has a message, and his voice should be heard.?Lawrence Olszewski, OCLC Lib., Dublin, Ohio
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Ambitious Rains Of Moist September
Atmospheric Phenomenon: The Art Of Hurricanes
Cohoba
Comprehending The Arrangement
The Face Without Makeup
The Flora
The Hammock
The Horizontal Song Disappears Into A
Hot Thought
If You See Me In L.a. It's Because I'm Looking For Airport
Invisibility O
Islandis
It's Miller Time
La Hamaca
Loisaida
The Lower East Side Of Manhattan
Mesa Blanca (1)
Poema Chicano
Poema Homenaje A Julita En Su Cumpleanos 99: Siglo Presencia
Preparaciones Para El Pasado
Pronostico: Arte
Time Zones
To Kairi
What Is In The Night For You
Windows Of The Panorama
Yjuanas
Yo No Digo Que Esto No Es Importanta
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Coffee House Press; First edition. edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566890667
• ISBN-13: 978-1566890663
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,886,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)