This Sorrow that Lifts Me Up

Book excerpt: Florbela Espanca (1894–1930) is one of Portugal's most celebrated poets. This bilingual anthology allows English-speaking readers to see why she deserves to be more widely known. Her poetry speaks passionately of longing, love and sexual liberation against the backdrop of the interwar années folles. After her untimely demise in 1930, Espanca quickly became the stuff of legend, thanks to the captivating combination of a tumultuous life-story and a string of signature sonnets that alternate between feelings of crushing failure and proclamations of lust for life. This bilingual antology, edited by Cláudia Pazos-Alonso, with illustrations by Margarida Fleming and translation by Simon Park, allows English-speaking readers to see why Espanca deserves to be widely known.