Full Description
This translation offers for the first time the splendid poems of Sidney West to English readers, supposedly their original addressees. West is among the best imaginary poets of America, allegedly his native land, and of all possible lands. His texts, although rich with exceptional life experience, will satisfy those who still believe in "the death of the author." No less satisfied, in spite of his anti-romanticism, will be those captivated by "committed writing." And in another paradox that West himself would have loved, if he had existed, what's offered here constitutes a translation of a translation. An English version based on the prior version into Spanish completed in 1969 by Argentine writer Juan Gelman, one of the greatest living Latin American poets. He should be considered the genuine author of the author of these poems, and the poems themselves.
Gelman's superb text poses a radical question: must human beings in modern society die in order to recuperate their human condition? Something happens after the passing of the book's thirty-five characters, their absence causes unforeseen consequences, generates certain kinds of presence. This profound questioning of Western assumptions surrounding death requires an innovative form that challenges the traditional boundaries between poetry and narrative, privileges the magical as a vital aspect of reality, and ultimately seeks a redefinition of the lyric persona. In The Poems of Sidney West, writing, without lessening its essential condition of creative practice, is conceived as an instrument not only to interpret but to transform the world.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Juan Gelman: Translation as Fidelity
lamento por la muerte de parsifal hoolig
lament for the death of parsifal hoolig
lamento por el arbolito de philip
lament for philip's tiny tree
lamento por gallagher bentham
lament for gallagher bentham
lamento por la tórtola de butch butchanam
lament for butch butchanam's turtle-dove
lamento por el pájaro de chester carmichael
lament for chester carmichael's bird
lamento por el sapo de stanley hook
lament for stanley hook's toad
lamento por los ojos de vernon vries
lament for vernon vries' eyes
lamento por el ciruelo de cab cunningham
lament for cab cunningham's plum tree
lamento por los que envidiaron a david cassidy
lament for those who envied david cassidy
lamento por el día español de raf maloney
lament for raf maloney's spanish day
lamento por el uteró de mecha vaugham
lament for mecha vaugham's uterus
lamento por la nuca de tom steward
lament for tom steward's nape
lamento por los alelíes de ost maloney
lament for ost maloney's wallflowers
lamento por las aguas de bigart sample
lament for bigart sample's waters
lamento por los pies de andrew sinclair
lament for andrew sinclair's feet
lamento por las flores de david burnham
lament for david burnham's flowers
lamento por el vuelo de bob chambers
lament for bob chamber's flight
lamento por los pies de carmichael o'shaughnessy
lament for carmichael o'shaughnessy's feet
lamento por la tripa de helen carmody
lament for helen carmody's gut
lamento por el pelo de bright morgan
lament for bright morgan's hair
lamento por la camisa de sam dale
lament for sam dale's shirt
lamento por la historia de cab calloway
lament for cab calloway's story
lamento por la niña blanca de johnny petsum
lament for johnny petsum's white girl
lamento por el llanto de sim simmons
lament for sim simmon's weeping
lamento por las yerbas de jack hammerstein
lament for jack hammerstein's grasses
lamento por la gente de raf salinger
lament for raf salinger's people
lamento por la mano de arthur donovan
lament for arthur donovan's hand
lamento por la llama de roy joseph gally
lament for roy joseph gally's flame
lamento por el furor de roy hennigan
lament for roy hennigan's rage
lamento por los idiotas de warren s. w. cormoran
lament for warren s. w. cormoran's idiots
lamento por las manos de astor frederick
lament for astor frederick's hands
lamento por el sicomoro de tommy derk
lament for tommy derk's sycamore
lamento por george bentham
lament for george bentham
lamento por la cucharita de sammy mccoy
lament for sammy mccoy's tiny spoon
Fe de erratas
Errata
