50 Poemas del Milenio

The poems in this book were chosen through a survey conducted by Plaza & Janes, publisher of a pocket-sized poetry collection, inviting Spanish and Latin American readers to select their favorite poems for the end of the millennium. The result is an enjoyable and inspiring collection ranging from Lope de Vega's and San Juan de la Cruz's sacred verses to the lovely lyric poems of Vicente Huidobro and Antonio Machado. Also included is moving poetry from father to child, love ballads and epic poems from the 15th and 16th centuries, and poems about the meaning of life and loss. The collection begins with the renowned ""Poema 20"" from Pablo Neruda's Veinte poemas de amor y una canci""n desesperada (Twenty Love Poems, Alianza, 1998) and continues to flow chronologically, so that even though many of the authors are represented twice their poems are not placed together. Unfortunately, the selection is ultimately somewhat narrow, as all but 16 of the 50 poems were written in the 20th century, and only five of the 34 authors are women. But even if this collection fails to represent more marginal poets, it succeeds in voicing the choices of everyday readers and in rethinking the concept of poetry as a high-culture genre. This pocket edition does not restrict poetry to a minority of academic readers but makes it available to the general public. A very good choice for all bookstores seeking to expand their collection of poetry in Spanish. Adriana Scopino, Brooklyn, NY