Song of the Simple Truth: The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos (Dual Language Edition:: Spanish, English) (Spanish Edition) (Paperback)

by Julia de Burgos (Author), Jack Agüeros (Translator) "Already the people murmur that I am your enemy because they say that in verse I give the world your me..." (more)
Key Phrases: miserable star, verdad sencilla, mis pasos, Puerto Rico, Julia de Burgos, Canto de las Piedras (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Although she published only two small books of verse in her lifetime, de Burgos (1914-53) has now attained almost legendary status in her native Puerto Rico. This bilingual edition marks the first time all her known poetic works have been compiled in one volume. The translations are accurate, but their order is problematic; because it is not strictly chronological, it is difficult for the reader not only to determine which poems emanate from which original collection but also which ones were originally unpublished. The 200 short poems speak for themselves: timeless themes of love, nature, solitude, and death connect with water images as seen in her paean to the Puerto Rican river, "Rio Grande de Loiza." Her occasional feminist sentiments make her even more attractive to contemporary audiences. Recommended for all poetry collections.?Lawrence Olszewski, OCLC Lib., Dublin, Ohio
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
All the known poetry by the most important Puerto Rican woman poet of the century is gathered in this significant publication--more than 200 poems, some that have often been anthologized as well as others that have been "lost" in out-of-print publications for many years. A labor of love for translator Agueros--who remembers seeing Burgos on the streets of New York when he was young--the big dual language edition reveals a woman of fire and blood, as passionate in her love for her mountain homeland as for the men who shared her life. Feminist, revolutionary, patriotic, Burgos adopted a sibylline voice, full of expansive power: "My road is space. / To travel me is to flee from all the paths. . . . / I am the dancing imbalance of the stars." Burgos (1914^-53) died in poverty in New York but now may receive the rich reputation that was denied her in life. Patricia Monaghan

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Product Details

• Paperback: 524 pages
• Publisher: Curbstone Press; 1st edition (January 1997)
• Language: Spanish, English
• ISBN-10: 1880684241
• ISBN-13: 978-1880684245
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #394,671 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mesmerizing and Powerful Words to Stir the Mind and Soul, May 27, 2000

By	Luis Hernandez (New York, New York, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Julia de Burgos is probably Latin America's greatest female poet. Although she never gained the mass media attention Gabriela Mistral gained after winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, de Burgos' work is eternally mesmerizing. Here is a woman who led an unhappy life searching for love, only to find heartbreak most of the times. A protege of Neruda's, de Burgos' political activisim in supporting various causes (including criticism of the Franco regime in Spain and Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic, in addition to her passionate support for independence for Puerto Rico) is clearly shown in her work. Her romaticism and her cultural reconnection can also be read in some of her poems. The one that realy captivated me was Poem #37, "I Love You," which will cause the reader to grasp their chest with the emotion she has poured in letting the love of her life know how much he moved her world.

Ms. De Burgos died a tragic death in New York, however after it was discovered she had been buried on Hart Island (New York City's version of a potter's field) a movement to give her a proper and glorious funeral took place and although she left the island as an unknown schoolteacher, she returned a national hero. Her glorious return to Puerto Rico was well deserving. I can tell you that reading this book brought me to tears. The great thing is that the entire book is a bilingual edition, which will allow both English & Spanish-language readers to discover one of the greatest poets of the 20th century.

A must have for readers of poerty, Latin American literature, and Spanish students. I also recommend it for those who love Neruda. Best book of poetry I ever read!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars REVIEW QUOTES, September 13, 2001

By	Curbstone Press, Jantje Tielken, Editorial As... - See all my reviews

"...The translated poems stand tall as de Burgos herself." --Publishers Weekly

"Perhaps this is an omen, for as we stand on the eve of one hundred years of the United States' colonial relationship with the island of Puerto Rico, perhaps the publication of this book is a symbolic representation of Puerto Rican authenticity and a sign of how seriously it must be taken." --American Book Review

"Julia de Burgos (1914-1953) is considered Puerto Rico's greatest female poet... Seductive in their raw emotional honesty her poems define and make concrete the spongy category of love poetry...Here, poetry is the poet incarnate: defiant, proud, a 'nude of restlessness.'" --Harvard Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The passion and politics of a Puerto Rican legend, April 29, 2001

By	Michael J. Mazza (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

"Song of the Simple Truth: The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos" is a landmark volume for Puerto Rican studies. This book brings together all 203 known poems by de Burgos, who was born in Puerto Rico in 1914 and died in New York City in 1953. This is a bilingual edition, with the author's Spanish poems paired with the English translations by Jack Agueros. Agueros also compiled this volume, and wrote a fascinating introduction.

De Burgos writes about politics, nature, inner emotions, and the poet's vocation. She often advocates Puerto Rican independence, but her political ideas also encompass a vision that is pan-American, and even global. She pays tribute to a number of iconic figures from Latin American culture: Pedro Albizu Campos, Jose Marti, Simon Bolivar, and Jose de Diego.

Much of her work has a surreal, hypnotic quality. She often uses startling, Daliesque language that is rich in images from the natural world. Her love poetry ranges from the melancholy to the ecstatic. Her voice is often paradoxical, often mystical--at times she reminds me of Emily Dickinson. One of my favorite romantic lines comes from poem #63, "Inward Song": "Don't remember me! Feel me! / A nightingale has us in his throat."

In poem #71, "My Road Is Space," de Burgos writes, "I am the dancing imbalance of the stars." This is a good image to apply to her poetry: celestial, joyous, with its own inner logic. All who love Latin American literature or 20th century poetry should explore the bountiful "Song" of Julia de Burgos.