America

“America is a look at America from the perspective of a poet whose first language is Spanish (but who is bilingual). Diving into the history of the nation, these poems are not afraid to describe the darker shades of the past and of reality nowadays. Valverde also ties in his own ideas about learning another language and what language, in general, can do for society, how it can open perspectives up and open a dialogue between two people who, at first, seemed different. Though the history of America is fraught with difficulties and accomplishments, Valverde handles the hurdles with ease and honesty. It is this honesty and insight into life that makes the reading rewarding.”—Virginia Living

“Valverde’s sharp meditation on the state of mind of a nation reeling from its historical contradictions and moral failings is startling. …what we miss, Valverde captures, re-energizing our perception of what becomes commonplace, no matter how horrific.” —Booklist

“Valverde with the gait and melodies of Lorca, with the brush of Dalí, where we blur between death skulls and majestic singers simultaneously, he goes, with his coat pockets stitched with murmurs of ancient prophets, and his lips parched with the thirsts of Whitman — relentless, he witnesses, he notes and measures somehow, the vast ruptures across our paradox called “America.” Forché’s incredible harmony with Valverde’s voices, space-time perception, affinities and depth is miraculous.  This collection is the face that rises before us, a smoldering rage that builds from the distance into our being of the Now. It’s a big crushing book you cannot put down.”— Juan Felipe Herrera, Poet Laureate of the United States, Emeritus

 

“Carolyn Forché is, of course, the perfect translator of the lyricism, moral responsibility, and expansive intelligence of Fernando Valverde’s America, an artistic record of one man’s sojourn down “the road that leads to fear, / that which is inevitable, /  the agony that drags itself along like a reptile.” These are powerful poems of international importance!”—  Jericho Brown

 

“Fernando Valverde is the most international poet of his generation. His poetry draws from the best sources of lyricism and is an example of modernity and tradition, of wisdom and emotion.” — Luis García Montero 

 

“Fernando Valverde is one of the most dazzling poets writing in Spanish today. In America, he shows the vivifying power of language, its deep sound and rhythm, its mysterious resonances, without forgetting the real, raising a fresco of a quality that honors his readers. No one can deny this triumph of poetry.” — Raúl Zurita

 

“Between Valverde and Forché there is an alignment of sound, sense, and sensibility. Both are poets of witness that work with long lines. Throughout most of the book, Forché follows Valverde’s syntax. This lets us see both Valverde’s absorption of American poetry, his search, as he notes in the introduction, to develop a more American phrasing, and the care taken by Forché in her translations. . . . If expat poetry looks homeward, Valverde in America, through a deep dive into the history and psyche of the US, tries to build a house in which to dwell while far from home.” — Good River Review