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ISBN: 0-931010-20-X
115 pp. | paper | $12.00

by Lourdes Vázquez; translated by Rosa Alcalá

Traditionally, a bestiary is a collection of fables about actual or mythological animals. In this collection, however, Lourdes Vázquez has crafted a bestiary of a different sort with a compilation of sensuous poetry in which insects, animals, and strangers reflect her experience as a “Caribbean in exile.” The poems resound with humor and grief, turn catastrophe into renewal, and playfully explore what happens in a world where the relationship between humans and beasts is still intact. At times hard and edgy, this poetry is never cold. It is instead vibrantly alive, flowing in a confluence of desire and anger, passion, and cool appraisal.

Short stories, poetry, and essays by Lourdes Vázquez have been published in anthologies and periodicals in Spain, the United States, and throughout Latin America. Her works include Las hembras (Chile: Papeles del Andalicá, 1987), Poesía: La rosa mecánica (Omar Rayo Museum of Columbia, 1988), and Historias de Pulgarcito, a collection of short stories (Ediciones Cultural, San Juan, 1999). In 2002 she was a winner of the prestigious Juan Rulfo prize for short story.

Rosa Alcalá has translated two poetry books by Cecilia Vicuña, Cloud-net (Art in General, 1999) and Palabra e hilo/Word & Thread (Morning Star Publications, 1996). She is currently translating poems for the Oxford University Press anthology 500 Years of Latin American Poetry. Her own poetry has appeared in The Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Chain, The World, and other magazines.