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Promises of Gold
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This collection is ideal for readers interested in contemporary poetry that addresses cultural identity, social justice, and the nuances of love. It resonates with those connected to first-generation narratives, bilingual literature, and fans of emotionally rich, politically conscious verse.
A groundbreaking collection of poems by rising star, Mexican-American poet José Olivarez, addressing how every kind of love - self love, brotherly love, romantic love, love of family and culture - is birthed, shaped, and complicated by invisible forces, in a dual language edition with Spanish translation by poet David Ruano
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Description
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
Promises of Gold has put Olivarez at the forefront of not only first-generation poetics, but of all poetry. This one here is for us -- the ones who hide garden shears in their poems' Javier Zamora
Love is at the heart of everything we do, and yet it is often mishandled, misrepresented, or narrowly defined. In the words of José Olivarez: 'How many bad lovers have gotten poems? How many crushes? No disrespect to romantic love -- but what about our friends? Those homies who show up when the romance ends to help you heal your heart. Those homies who are there all along -- cheering for us and reminding us that love is abundant.'
Written in English and combined with a Spanish translation by poet David Ruano, Promises of Gold explores many forms of love and how 'a promise made isn't always a promise kept,' as Olivarez lays bare the ways in which 'love is complicated by forces larger than our hearts.' It is an attempt to reckon with colonial legacy and the reality of what those promises and dreams have borne out for Mexican descendants. 'I wrote this book to imagine and document an ongoing practice of healing,' writes Olivarez, 'healing that requires me to show up for myself, my community, my friends, my family, and my loves every day.'
Whether readers enter this collection in English or Spanish, these extraordinary poems, written with empathy and humour, are sure to be cherished for their illuminations of all the rhythms of life -- and love.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
"My people I am poly with the tortillas" is highlighted as a standout line from this heartfelt and humorous collection. Praised for its blend of tenderness and sharp critique, the book is described as both a celebration of various kinds of love and a pointed challenge to colonial, capitalist, and exploitative systems. Nate Marshall calls it a "battle rap and a clapback," while Kate Baer finds it "visceral and moving." The poems are appreciated for their empathy, wit, and exploration of complicated love.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781472157744
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 02 March 2023
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Corsair
Contributors:
- Translated by Dr David Ruano González
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 32.0mm
Width: 148.0mm
Height: 224.0mm
Weight: 440g
Pages: 320
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About the Author
Jose Olivarez is the son of Mexican immigrants. His debut book of poems, Citizen Illegal, was a finalist for the PEN/Jean Stein Award and a winner of the 2018 Chicago Review of Books Poetry Prize. It was named a top book of 2018 by The Adroit Journal, NPR, and the New York Public Library. Along with Felicia Chavez and Willie Perdomo, he co-edited the poetry anthology, The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNEXT. He is the co-host of the poetry podcast, The Poetry Gods. In 2018, he was awarded the first annual Author and Artist in Justice Award from the Phillips Brooks House Association and named a Debut Poet of 2018 by Poets & Writers. In 2019, he was awarded a Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation. His work has been featured in The New York Times, the Paris Review, and elsewhere.
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