Volcanic Reflections: a Bilingual Anthology of Contemporary Ecuadorian Poetry

Book excerpt: Volcanic Reflections: A Bilingual Anthology of Contemporary Ecuadorian Poetry is the third in a series of books that aspires to address a dearth of information in the English-speaking world about South American poetry of the past thirty years. The nineteen outstanding poets included here represent a wide diversity of themes, styles, and perspectives in one of South Americas smaller nations. All of them have published extensively, have been recognized through literary awards and inclusion in national and international anthologies, and continue writing and publishing today. For readers unfamiliar with Ecuador, the Introduction provides a brief background of its geography, history, politics, economy, and society. This is followed by an ample selection of representative poems published previously in Spanish, with translations in English on facing pages. The book concludes with a brief biographical sketch of each poet and an unprecedented bibliography of primary and secondary sources for those readers who might want to pursue further reading or research on any poet of interest. Contemporary Uruguayan Poetry: A Bilingual Anthology and Exotic Territory: A Bilingual Anthology of Contemporary Paraguayan Anthology are two companion volumes that offer similar exposure to poetry that deserves to be better known in the English-speaking world.