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Time Without Keys
Selected Poems
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Time Without Keys
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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?
Ideal for readers of contemporary and classic poetry, those interested in Latin American literature, and anyone drawn to meditations on time, nature, and language. Suitable for bilingual readers appreciating Spanish and English presentations.
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See moreA landmark collection of poetry by one of Latin America’s most important living writers
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
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Description
The celebrated writer Álvaro Mutis envied new readers of Ida Vitale's poetry: "unexpected pleasures await them." Time Without Keys: Selected Poems is the first volume of Vitale's illustrious poetry to appear in the US. The selection spans seventy-five years and the wonders within abound—the skies over Montevideo, falconry, the saxifrage's bloom, gratitude for the alphabet and summer—as do urgent questions about our relationship with the world.
How does our perception of time shape history, as well as our social and political constructs? Vitale's poetic and human vitality have made her a storied figure in the Spanish language and beyond; her writing is revered for being classic and modern, precise and lucid, intellectually challenging and rich in tradition.
This bilingual edition, presented in reverse chronological order, offers the reader both a wide range of Vitale's most beloved poems, as well as a wealth of recent work. The translator Sarah Pollack, Vitale's first translator into English, has written an informative afterword about Vitale's life and work.
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?
Vitale’s poems are often brief, combining playful yet gentle tones without overstaying their welcome, as noted by Ange Mlinko in the New York Review of Books. Rebecca Morgan Frank of Literary Hub highlights Vitale’s elemental focus on the natural world and language, spanning 75 years of celebrated lyricism. Janani Ambikapathy in Harriet Books praises the poems’ buoyant spirit and sense of secrecy, while Julio Cortázar expresses gratitude for Vitale’s restrained and essential verse that evokes vivid memories.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780811231923
Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 04 September 2023
Country: United States
Imprint: New Directions Publishing Corporation
Contributors:
- Translated by Sarah Pollack
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 15.0mm
Width: 135.0mm
Height: 203.0mm
Weight: 209g
Pages: 160
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About the Author
Ida Vitale was born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1923. She is one of Latin America’s most celebrated and respected poets. Vitale has published over thirty works of poetry, prose, and literary criticism, in addition to numerous translations. In Uruguay and Mexico, where she lived in exile, she was an important intellectual figure. In the late 1980s, Vitale settled in Austin, TX until her return to Montevideo in 2016, after the death of her husband. She is the fifth woman to win the Miguel de Cervantes Prize, the highest accolade in Spanish. Her awards include the National Prize in Uruguay, the Reina Sofía Prize, the Octavio Paz Prize, the García Lorca Prize, and the Max Jacob Prize. In 2019, the BBC named her one of the world’s 100 most influential women. Sarah Pollack is a professor of Latin American literature and translation studies at the College of Staten Island and The Graduate Center, CUNY. She has also translated works by Juan Villoro, Silvia Eugenia Castillero, Fabio Morábito, Enrique Fierro, and Cristina Peri Rossi.
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