Guillén on Guillén : The Poetry and the Poet

Jorge Guillén is one of Spain's most important and productive poets of the twentieth century; yet though recently honored with prestigious literary prizes in Spain, Italy, and the United States, he remains little known in this country. This selection of his poetry and his commentary on the poems comprise an extraordinary introduction of the poet to an English-speaking audience. Ranging over the nearly sixty years of Guillén's poetic career, this anthology consists of the poet's own selection of forty-one poems that represent for him the coherence and unity of his life's work. His commentary on each poem explains its place and significance in this context. With the original Spanish and the English translations on facing pages, the anthology proceeds thematically. The poet asks us to consider the architecture of his work as a whole, and not necessarily his development as a poet. At Guillén's invitation, the translators visited him at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where they taped the poet reading and talking about his poetry for more than five hours. __Guillén on Guillén__ is the edited transcript of that meeting. Originally published in 1979. The **Princeton Legacy Library** uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. Jorge Guillén is one of Spain's most important and productive poets of the twentieth century; yet though recently honored with prestigious literary prizes in Spain, Italy, and the United States, he remains little known in this country. This selection of his poetry and his commentary on the poems comprise an extraordinary introduction of the poet to an English-speaking audience. Ranging over the nearly sixty years of Guillén's poetic career, this anthology consists of the poet's own selection of forty-one poems that represent for him the coherence and unity of his life's work. His commentary on each poem explains its place and significance in this context. With the original Spanish and the English translations on facing pages, the anthology proceeds thematically. The poet asks us to consider the architecture of his work as a whole, and not necessarily his development as a poet. At Guillén's invitation, the translators visited him at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where they taped the poet reading and talking about his poetry for more than five hours. Guillén on Guillén is the edited transcript of that meeting. Originally published in 1979. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905 Cover Table of Contents Frontispiece: Obra Completa I Complete Works V Translators' Preface The Morning of December 6, 1975 Mientras El Aire Es Nuestro/While the Air Is Ours Del Contacto Al Acto/From Contact to Act La Salida/Setting Out A Nivel/Perfectly Level Paraíso Regado/An Irrigated Paradise La Inminencia/The Imminence Vida-Esperanza/Life- Hope Vida Cotidiana/ Everyday Life Castillo De Elsinor/Elsinore Desnudo/Nude Invocacion/Invocation Mundo Continuo/ Continuous World Carta Urgente/An Urgent Letter Los Amigos/Friends The Afternoon of December 6 Amor a Una Manana/Love of a Morning Vuelo/Flight Mar Con Luna/Sea with Moon Fray Luis De Leon/Fray Luis De Leon Miguel Hernandez/ Miguel Hernandez Mirar y admirar/ Double Vision Gallo Del Amanecer/Chanticleer De Luzbel Desconcertado Ifrom Lucifer Confounded Para No Engreirse/So as Not to Become Too Vain Historia Extraordinaria/ History of a Marvel Una Prision/A Prison Potencia De Perez/The Powers of Perez De Arte Rupestre/ From a Rupestrian Art De En Estos Anos De Tormentas/ From in These, Tormented Years En La Television/On Television The Morning of December 7 Del Trascurso/ Passage Cifras Con Cierto Enfoque I Sums with a Particular Focus Una Sola Vez/Once Only Este Muerto/This Dead Man Hacia El Hombre/ Toward Man «El Agnostico»/"The Agnostic" Noche Nuestra, Noche Ajena/Intimate, Alien Night Hacia el Poema/ Toward the Poem De Lector En Lector/ From Reader to Reader Orden Cronologico /Chronological Order Resumen/Summary El Cuento De Nunca Acabar/A Never-Ending Tale Notes and Appendices Notes Biography of Jorge Guillén Main Works of Jorge Guillen Source of the Poems