Customer Reviews (1)

excelente
I bought the book for a class, but fell in love with the storyline, definitely buy it and read it! ... Read more

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drama: an alternative repertoire of Lorca's plays ... Read more

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El Romancero Gitano es una de las creaciones liricas mas significativas del siglo XX. Punto culminante de la primera etapa estetica de Lorca, el propio poeta lo define como el poema de Andalucia, y lo llamo gitano porque el gitano es lo mas elevado, lo mas profundo, mas aristocratico de mi pais, lo mas representativo de su modo y el que guarda el ascua, la sangre y el alfabeto de la verdad andaluza y universal. Es, sin embargo, un libro donde apenas si esta expresada la Andalucia que se ve, pero donde esta temblando la que no se ve: un libro antipintoresco, antifolclorico, antiflamenco..., donde las figuras sirven a fondos milenarios y donde no hay mas que un personaje grande y oscuro como un cielo de estio... la Pena.Ofrece este volumen la magnifica edicion de Christian De Paepe, reconocido como uno de los principales lorquistas, con un estudio de la estetica y la estructura del Romancero y una detallada anotacion tematica y estilistica. A ello se anaden la Introduccion general de Esperanza Ortega. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wonderful
This is one of the most beautiful books one can ever read. "LLanto por Ignacio Sanchez Mejias" is a very powerful poem. The strong rhythm will dazzle you. "Romancero Gitano" is written with an eloquent spirit and you will enjoy it as much. I strongly recommend this book and any of Lorca's works.

Got Lorca?
This work by Lorca fortifies and makes the poetry richer. It gives it emotional, moral, and mental strength absent in the literary works of the late 19th and the early 20th century. ... Read more

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Spain in the twentieth century gave birth to an array of astounding artistic and literary talent, including the passionately iconoclastic writer Federico Garcia Lorca. But his works were ill received in the homophobic atmosphere of institutionalized Spanish criticism. Because of this atmosphere, even today's critics have effectively marginalized and disavowed intimations of homo-affectivity and homoeroticism in the great Spanish works.

This book first appeared in Spain in 1991 as counter-discourse against those prevailing ideological structures. Before its appearance, no significant work had focused on the position of Spanish culture towards homosexuality or on how homosexuality could affect the works of canonical writers. Engaging with homosexuality as an imperative source of meaning in artistic work, this volume rigorously studies the works of Federico Garcia Lorca and several of his marginalized homosexual contemporaries, including Emilio Prados, Luis Cernuda, Juan Gil-Albert, and Salvador Dali. The study relies on the textual evidence presented by these authors to define the homosexual culture as one plagued by the realities of rejection, fear of the law, self-doubts, the lack of an authorized language with which to convey emotions, the awareness of disgust around the individual, the need to accept marginality to find sexual or emotional satisfaction, and the knowledge of one's own social divergence, all of which have an enormous influence on any artist's work.

With this new and updated translation, this work offers English-speaking readers the opportunity to focus on formal aspects of literary expressions of homosexuality. ... Read more

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Federico García Lorca (Fuente Vaqueros, provincia de Granada, 5 de junio de 1898 – entre Víznar y Alfacar, ibídem, 19 de agosto de 1936) fue un poeta, dramaturgo y prosista español, también conocido por su destreza en muchas otras artes. Adscrito a la llamada Generación del 27, es el poeta de mayor influencia y popularidad de la literatura española del siglo XX. Como dramaturgo, se le considera una de las cimas del teatro español del siglo XX, junto con Valle-Inclán y Buero Vallejo. Murió ejecutado tras el levantamiento militar de la Guerra Civil Española, por su afinidad con el Frente Popular y por ser abiertamente homosexual ... Read more

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The work of Federico Garcia Lorca, Spain's greatest modern poet, has long been admired for its emotional intensity and metaphorical brilliance. Few poets take us more directly and memorably to what Lorca described as "the dark root of the scream," the terrain of the duende, where inspiration delivers a new poetic reality and "intelligence" discovers its limitations.

For many years, until the recent publication of FSG's Collected Poems, English readers' view of Lorca has been determined by a few well-known books-The Divan at Tamarit, Poet in New York, The Gypsy Ballads-and by a lamentably small number of poems. Now this Selected Verse, the most complete paperback anthology available in English, draws on FSG's two-volume Poetical Works, providing authoritative versions by outstanding poets and translators: Francisco Aragon, Catherine Brown, Cola Franzen, Will Kirkland, William Bryant Logan, Jerome Rothernberge, Greg Simon, Alan S. Trueblood, John K. Walsh, and Steven F. White. In this bilingual edition, Lorca's poetic range comes clearly into view, from the playful Suites and stylized evocations of Andalusia to the utter gravity and mystery of the final elegies, confirming his stature as one of our century's finest poets.
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Customer Reviews (6)

Magnificent
I confess I'm jumping the gun here a bit.I have not finished the entire volume.But these poems are as richly textured and chock full of memorable images as any I've read.It is so sad that Lorca did not survive the Spanish Civil War.So many innocents did not, but oh, to have had Lorca live and develop as his friend Pablo Neruda did over the years...what fabulous more might he have left us.

I'll quote two back to back sections of one of the "Deep Song" poems (from the Poem of the Gypsy Siguiriya) first "The Cry" and then "The Silence": "The arc of a cry/ travels from hill/ to hill.// From the olive trees/ a black rainbow/ over the blue night.// Ay!// Like the bow of a viola/ the cry has set the wind's/ long strings to vibrating.// Ay!// (The people of the caves/ bring out their oil lamps.)// Ay!" : "Listen, my child, to the silence./ An undulating silence,/ a silence/ that turns valleys and echoes slippery,/ bends foreheads/ toward the ground."(Trans Cola Franzen)

If you owned only one F.G. Lorca, this would be a good choice.The selection is broad, translations varied enough that, alongside the Spanish, you can really get a feel for the poems, and Lorca is extraordinary.All in all, this volume is quite magnificent.

Often Powerful: 4.5 Stars
This is a very nicely produced bilingual selection of Garcia Lorca's poetry.The bilingual versions give even non-Spanish speakers a glimpse of Garcia Lorca's languge.There is a good deal of impressive poetry in this collection.I favor the earlier and later poetry.Some of the poetry from the middle of Garcia Lorca's abbreviated life exhibits more dense imagery and language, making it harder to understand.

Excellent selection, but with a few dud translations.
This volume has much to recommend it: the selections are just what you'd hope for [a nice cross-sampling of Lorca's forms, styles, voices, and developmental periods]; the introductory essay by editor Christopher Maurer is excellent, concise, and illuminating; and the translations are mostly brilliant.This is almost 5-star material.

I downgraded to 4 stars becasue several translations are too prosaic and literal for this most lyrical and oblique of poets.For example, Greg Simon and Steven White's translation of Danza de la muerte reads almost as flatly as a word-for-word transcription.The tripping rhythms and apocalyptic language of the original poem feel a bit bloodless in translation.Several of Cola Franzen's translations I think adhere too faithfully to the original structure, which doesn't work with English iambs, at least not without sacrificing music.

Of course, one cannot simply criticize a translation.At issue is an insoluble debate between faithfulness to the original in structure, diction, and sense, versus faithfulness to the original in sound, rhythm, and other musical aspects.The two faithfulnesses may be at conflict.

Anyway, this is an excellent selection, flawless except for those disappointingly flat-footed renderings.Can I propose a side-by-side-by-side format?Instead of Spanish next to a single English translation, how about Spanish next to a word-by-word, highly faithful translation, next to a more musical rendering?Sort of like this: Lorca-Simon/White-Ezra Pound?[As in his "translations" of Chinese poems?]Like I said:insoluble.

Garcia lorca doe it again
Whether you have children or not Buy this book. If you have children read them the landscape poetry in here.They will sing them in their sleep.It will take them on magical journeys to happy places and you also.

this is the one to buy
I just started browsing through a book of his poems in spanish one day and loved them, but my spanish is marginal.This has the spanish poems side by side with english translations, many of which I don't really like because they do things like switch words and lines and take a little too much freedom and change the spirit of the poem, but that's okay.You can read the spanish, read the english, and see exactly what has been changed, but the beauty is in the spanish ones, and though his vocabulary is large, yours doesn't really have to be to appreciate the sound and sight of these poems in spanish. I love many of the sonnets, plus the king of harlem, which reminds me of HCE from Finnegans Wake, this character that becomes the landscape itself, "after walking", and many others from the poet in new york.I've just been getting into some spanish poets after reading some st john of the cross and seeing what types of flows and life can be infused into words in this language, and these dark, bloody grimy oozes of language have had me high for weeks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Good Plays, but Where's Bernarda Alba?
This edition has two of Lorca's most famous plays:Blood Wedding and Yerma. There is some sense in putting them together; both are relatively later plays, Blood sometimes called his first major. Perhaps more importantly, they have similar settings and themes; both deal with early nineteenth-century rural Spain and focus on central Lorca concerns like desire, repression, ritual, tradition and authority vs. individualism, etc. However, the collection is missing The House of Bernarda Alba, which is usually considered Lorca's masterpiece, has much in common with the other two plays, and is often printed with them. Thus, unless one particularly values this translation, it is greatly preferable to get an edition with the far better play.

The two plays included are not without interest, in large part because the themes are increasingly dramatized through women. This would have been notable anywhere in the 1930s but is even more remarkable in coming from a heavily Catholic country suffering conservative backlash. Mores were stringent, having a profound cultural effect and intensely affecting individuals; transgressors were heavily punished or, as in the case of Lorca himself, even killed. Lorca's sympathy with women's lot is highly notable, and it is hard to deny a strong connection between it and his own tortured existence as a homosexual in a time and place where he could not live openly with impunity. One can legitimately see these works as similar to Henrik Ibsen's famous "problem plays" - dramatizations of contemporary social problems. Lorca bravely calls into question many traditional Spanish and Catholic beliefs, showing their limitations and the tragic effects that sometimes result.

However, there is more to them. Lorca's language has a lyricism and sophistication rarely seen in drama since Ibsen led the switch to prose. He was of course primarily a poet and still mostly known for poetry; we can see a successful melding of drama in the strictest sense with poetry. Some will inevitably say this comes at the expense of other modern drama qualities, primarily realism, and it is certainly true that they are deemphasized. This was of course conscious and essentially a matter of taste. Those who dislike it will almost certainly be averse to Lorca's drama; others may lionize it. I am essentially in-between, unable to see how so many see these works as truly great drama but easily recognizing how far they are above midrange.

More important in any case are universal themes that move the plays beyond time and place. Lorca's work has an all-powerful earthiness focusing on primitive emotions like lust, rage, and despair, making his work accessible to all even at its most arcane. His local focus is intense, and it is near-impossible to avoid biographical readings with an author so ambiguously legendary, but some of his issues are central to the human condition. Also, though characterization was not his forte, his portrayals were heavily, often intensely dramatic, making it easier to identify with what were quite radical concepts. He was of course an artist - and, indeed, a man - well ahead of his time, as reading these very modern works over seventy years later attests. In this way, at least, his writing is easier to appreciate as time passes.

There are substantial differences between the three plays, including quality. With a near-elementary plot but stunningly poetic language, Blood Wedding is at once simpler and more complex. The simple tale is as old as literature - probably as old as humanity -, and it is hard for one to care much about it on its own terms. There is indeed a noticeable Greek tragedy influence in presentation - i.e., violence being offstage - as well as plot, though Lorca is as ever strongly rooted in Spanish culture. However, the play has less conventional presentation, making it intriguing. It is deliberately unrealistic; a near-surreal air pervades, and there is relatively little prose dialogue. More importantly, it is highly symbolic; tropes and figures do not so much accentuate as become essential to the plot. Blood requires close attention to appreciate, not making it the easiest introduction. Thankfully, the lyrical beauty may pull some readers in, leading them to the stronger and more enjoyable Yerma and hopefully even better Lorca.

Yerma has a more original focus, centering on Lorca's time and place with significant universal overtones - the tragedy that results when women are unable to have children in a culture leaving them little else. The play is unsurprisingly a feminist favorite, but anyone with empathy for people in sad situations will see much pathos. Yerma vividly dramatizes the repression of women in early twentieth-century rural Spain, throwing their trials and travails into sharp relief against the general culture. We quickly see how unjust it was, but Lorca knows better than to offer a simple solution, instead showing the tragedy that comes from this very lack. However, reducing the play to didactic status does it something of a disservice, as its empathy for women is sadly not universal. Perhaps more importantly, Yerma is a highly memorable character who earns our sympathy despite carrying her obsession to what can only be called psychosis and committing an unjustifiable act. Dramatically, Yerma is more original than Blood Wedding, shedding the Greek tragedy influence for an intense focus on a single theme and character. Yerma is onstage nearly the whole time and always the focus. Her part is one of modern theater's most difficult; only a tremendous actor could do it convincingly. We can see a definite growth from Blood to Yerma, with Lorca pushing modern theater's boundaries in more than one way.

This brings up the main unavoidable crux in reading Lorca - he is not an easy read. Even those eager to enjoy and/or appreciate him may well have significant difficulty. Matters of taste aside, he uses symbolism so heavily that anyone not paying close attention will miss essential points - even basic plot elements. This and frequent lyrical deployment set him apart from nearly all modern drama; those who do not know what to expect may be taken by inauspicious surprise. These are problems even for those who read Lorca in Spanish, but translation of course compounds them. Since Lorca works his vast knowledge of Spanish culture into his work so thoroughly, those unfamiliar with it will miss much - not only symbolism but even basic plot points. Finally, as one might expect from a writer who was a director and actor as well as writer, Lorca put more emphasis on physical elements than the vast majority of playwrights. These are nearly impossible to reproduce on paper, and he indeed does not even try; stage directions are minimal, and almost no description is given. This was of course not a problem when he was alive, for he could add them himself in production, but readers are now left significantly hanging. There is no solution other than seeing the plays performed, and those who wish only to read him - or are unable to attend a play - must put up with the deficiency. It fortunately is not fatal; there is still much to enjoy and appreciate, even if we are all too aware that we are missing something. Here we are missing something perhaps even more important - Bernarda Alba. Anyone who likes these plays will definitely like it, and anyone who thinks them underwhelming should still check it out. Blood and Yerma are interesting, but there is really no excuse for failing to include the superior work and little, if any, reason to buy this book.

Lorca is misunderstood by small minds
I find it quite amazing that readers find themselves capable of disregarding a playwright's work simply because they have read what could well be a bad edition! This edition of Lorca's Yerma and Blood Wedding isdefinitely not among the best I have read; others do more justice to theoriginal works. Obviously, much of the content and passion is lost upontranslation. I have had the privilege of reading most of Lorca's work inSpanish and must say that he is indeed one of the most influential andtalented playwrights (and poets) of our time. Lorca's work is infused withthe beauty and passion of the Spanish people and culture and it is quitedifficult for us considerably less emotional Americans to understand, letalone feel the intensity of such power; again, this has a lot to do withreading it in English.

He captures human nature and sexuality very passionately!
I read the review of comyking@home.net and I think that you need to develop literary skills(An education perhaps?!). Maybe then you will undrstand what literature is about. Yerma and La casa de Bernada Alba aretwo of the most fascinating books I have ever read. They depict the lifeand frustrations faced by females in an era when chastity, "socialstauts and appearance" influenceda woman's life. I think these booksare extremely interesting and insightful. One must have an exceptionalliterary background to appreciate this type of literature.

I did not like it at all.
The book was trash.It had no plot, no story, and no action.I couldn't wait to put it down it was so bad, but I had jury duty and there was nothing else to do.I wish I had brought a different book.PLEASE DO NOTGET CAUGHT IN THE SAME SITUATION!!!THIS BOOK IS HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A great play in which many important themes are presented
This is one of Lorca's most interesting plays, in which a dominant and strict mother controls the lives of her daughters.Many themes are expressed in this play: social pressure, love, dominance, etc. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Beautifully Illustrated .. beautiful language
This book contains the poems written by Lorca for children. I read it frequently to my 4yr old daughter, for whom Spanish is her third language. Many of the words and concepts are well beyond the comprehension a small child, but the sonority of the language is so beautiful - with illustrations to match - that she is mesmerized (so am I) as I read her the poems. We have probably between 50 and 100 children's books in Spanish, and this is one of my favorites. ... Read more

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Arranged for guitar by Ramon Cueto.

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