Author Description

Poetry anthology. Native American Studies. Latino/a Studies. UL: FOUR MAPUCHE POETS is a collection of work by contemporary Chilean poets Elicura Chihuailaf, Leonel Lienlaf, Jaime Luis Huenun, and Graciela Huinao. Written in the poets' native Mapudungun and Spanish, and appearing with English translations, these extraordinary poems celebrate the rich indigenous heritage of Chile and provide rare insight into a culture that remains largely unknown. "The mystery of midnight has always stirred me. / It would seem the heavens dropped sharpened knives / to earth, cutting the night in two. / I think of my mother at midnight 14 October / 1956 when my mouth became filled with the South." (Graciela Huinao, "Semblance of a Biography"). This collection includes a useful introduction by Vicuna, with extensive notes, as well as a glossary. It is co-published with the Americas Society as one of two unprecedented anthologies appearing in trilingual format. Editor Cecilia Vicuna is a Chilean poet and author of UNRAVELLING WORDS AND THE WEAVING OF WATER (Graywolf). Translator John Bierhorst is the author and translator of CANTARES MEXICANOS and FOUR MASTERWORKS OF AMERICAN INDIAN LITERATURE.