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Fifty Mexican poets are translated into English in one volume of this special two-volume anthology.
Líneas Conectadas: Nueva poesía de los Estados Unidos and its companion volume Connecting Lines: New Poetry from Mexico constitute a unique literary enterprise. These twin anthologies present a diverse cross-section of new poetry from the United States and Mexico in a bilingual format. Fifty poets from each nation have been selected to display the best work of the postwar generation written in Spanish and English. These paired anthologies represent the first of several official literary collaborations between Mexico and the United States designed to foster artistic exchange between our two great nations.
—Dana Gioia, from the Preface
Culture has the advantage of being inclusive, tolerant, generous, spontaneous, democratic, and
vital, and perhaps is the best medium to bring together two nations as different as Mexico and the U.S. The volume that readers now hold in their hands invites them to approach both anthologies as if they were a single book allowing both countries to be better understood, through the fine sensibility and keen perception of poetry.
—Hernán Lara Zavala
Since the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, the United States and Mexico have been inextricably linked. The blending of the American and Mexican cultures has enriched both nations.
Through a partnership to promote wider access to literary voices of Mexican artists in the U.S. and American writers in Mexico, the National Endowment for the Arts, the United States Embassy in Mexico, and the National Autonomous University of Mexico have joined together to support a program of anthology publications and public outreach activities.
The two-volume set—Líneas conectadas: nueva poesía de los Estados Unidos and Connecting Lines: New Poetry from Mexico—is the first installment in the series. With definitive translations by leading writers and scholars, these dual volumes offer a glimpse into the beauty of the Mexican and the American experience through the microscopic lens of poetry. Whether read for personal pleasure or classroom study, Líneas conectadas and Connecting Lines are a must-read for anyone curious of our ever-increasing multicultural identity.
"We are pleased to introduce readers to the best of contemporary Mexican and American poetry through these comprehensive bilingual anthologies," states NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "I believe they will quickly become essential volumes for poetry lovers and grant new insight into both cultures."
Luis Cortés Bargalló, born 1952 in Tijuana, is a poet, translator, and editor. He studied communication science, Mexican songwriting, and music in Mexico City where he currently lives. He has written the following poetry books: Terrario (Latitudes, 1979); El circo silencioso (Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1985); La soledad del polo (Ediciones Toledo, 1990); Al margen indomable (Conaculta, 1996); and an anthology of his poetry titled Po el ojo de una aguja (Biblioteca del ISSSTE, 1999). He has three books in print; Filos de un haz y envés (Trilce ediciones), La lampara del cuerpo (El aduanero), and Talleres de Saturno (circa). Bargalló has been a recipient of grants from the U.S./Mexico Fund for Culture, and is a member of the National System of Creators of Art since 2001.
Forrest Gander is the author of five poetry books, including Torn Awake and Science & Steepleflower, both from New Directions. In 2002, Gander published the translations, No Shelter: Selected Poems of Pura López Colomé and, with Kent Johnson, Immanent Visitor: The Selected Poems of Jaime Saenz. The recipient of two Gertrude Stein Awards for Innovative North American Writing, an NEA Fellowship in poetry, and The Whiting Award for Writers, Gander has written critical essays for numerous journals, including The Nation, The Boston Review, and The Providence Journal. With poet C.D. Wright, he co-edits the literary book press Lost Roads Publishers and keeps a small orchard outside of Providence, Rhode Island. Gander is Professor of English Literature and Director of the Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Brown University.
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