A definitive, bilingual selection of poetry, essays, and letters by one of Puerto Rico's most beloved poets.
Vanessa PErez-Rosario is a translator and a professor at the City University of New York, and the managing editor of Small Axe, a project devoted to Caribbean cultural criticism. She is the author of Becoming Julia de Burgos: The Making of a Puerto Rican Icon, which is also available in Spanish.
Translating Julia de Burgos by Vanessa PErez-Rosario Part I. Selected Poems Poema en 20 surcos / Poem in 20 Furrows A Julia de Burgos To Julia de Burgos, translated by Grace Schulman To Julia de Burgos, translated by Roberto MArquez RIo Grande de LoIza Rio Grande de LoIza, translated by Grace Schulman Rio Grande de LoIza, translated by Roque Raquel Salas Rivera Momentos Moments, translated by UrayoAn Noel PentacromIa Pentachromatics, translated by Robin Myers Nada Nothingness, translated by Roque Raquel Salas Rivera Ay Ay Ay de la grifa negra My, Oh My, Oh My of the Nappy-haired Negress, translated by Roberto MArquez Mi alma My Soul, translated by Carina del Valle Schorske Ochenta mil Eighty Thousand, translated by Vanessa PErez-Rosario Yo misma fui mi ruta I Am My Own Path, translated by Vanessa PErez-Rosario CanciOn de la verdad sencilla / Song of the Simple Truth Poema detenido en un amanecer Poem Confined in a Dawn, translated by Josefina BAez TransmutaciOn Transmutation, translated by Jack AgUEeros ArmonIa de la palabra y el instinto Word and Instinct in Harmony, Translated by Josefina BAez CanciOn desnuda Naked Song, translated by Josefina BAez Yo fui la mAs callada I Was the Quietest, translated by Carina del Valle Schorske Te seguirE callada I Will Follow You Hushed, translated by Aurora Levins Morales CanciOn de tu presencia Song of Your Presence, translated by Vanessa PErez-Rosario CanciOn de la verdad sencilla Song of the Simple Truth, Translated by Roberto MArquez El mar y tU / The Sea and You El mar y tU The Sea and You, translated by Aurora Levins Morales Casi alba Almost Sunrise, translated by Cyrus Cassells VIctima de luz Victim of Light, translated by Aurora Levins Morales CanciOn amarga Bitter Song, translated by Josefina BAez Entre mi voz y el tiempo Between My Voice and Time, translated by Josefina BAez Dadme mi nUmero Give Me My Number, translated by UrayoAn Noel !Oh lentitud del mar! Oh Slowness of the Sea!, translated by Vanessa PErez-Rosario !Oh mar, no esperes mAs! Oh Sea, Wait no Longer!, translated by Josefina BAez Poema para mi muerte Poem for My Death, translated by Roberto MArquez Poemas sueltos / Loose Poems Campo Country, translated by Roque Raquel Salas Rivera Countryside, translated by Robin Myers Una canciOn a Albizu Campos A Song for Albizu Campos, translated by Carina del Valle Schorske Himno de sangre a Trujillo Bloody Hymn for Trujillo, translated by Aurora Levins Morales CanciOn a los pueblos de AmErica y del mundo Song to the Hispanic Peoples of America and the World, translated by Vanessa PErez-Rosario Canto a JosE MartI Song for JosE MartI, translated by Vanessa PErez-Rosario Farewell in Welfare Island Despedida desde Welfare Island, translated by Mayra Santos-Febres The Sun in Welfare Island El sol de Welfare Island, translated by Mayra Santos-Febres Part II. Essays, Interview Essays, Vignettes, and Sketches Translated by Robin Myers Ensayos/Essays La mujer frente el dolor de la patria Women and the Pain of the Nation Ser o no ser es la divisa To Be or Not to Be Is the Motto Triunfa Juan Bosch en concurso periodIstico Juan Bosch Triumphs in Journalism Contest Cultura en funciOn social The Social Function of Culture JosE de Diego, el hombre transmutado JosE de Diego, the Transmuted Man Con los hEroes de la independencia hispanoamericana With the Heroes of Hispanic American Independence PresentaciOn de Marigloria Palma Introducing Marigloria Palma Luis LlorEns Torres enfermo en Nueva York Luis LlorEns Torres Ill in New York Carmen Alicia Cadilla Carmen Alicia Cadilla Entrevistas/Interview Essays PlAtica con Esteban Soriano A Conversation with Esteban Soriano Con Narciso Figueroa, pianista puertorriqueNo With Narciso Figueroa, Puerto Rican Pianist Con Eusebia Cosme, gran recitadora cubana With Eusebia Cosme, Great Cuban Performer of Poetry Con Noro Morales, director de orquesta puertorriqueNo With Noro Morales, Musical Director of Orquesta PuertoriqueNo Con Conrado VAsquez, pintor revolucionario mexicano With Conrado VAsquez, Revolutionary Mexican Painter Con Josephine Premice y su arte folklOrico haitiano With Josephine Premice and Her Haitian Folk Art Con Carlos Alfonso RIos, poeta peruano With Carlos Alfonso RIos, Peruvian Poet CrOnicas/Vignettes and Sketches Perfiles de mexicanos, voces de MExico en Baltimore Mexican Profiles, Voices of Mexico in Baltimore Iris y Paloma en el Museo de Arte HispAnico Iris and Paloma in the Hispanic Society Museum and Library En la Cantina de la Juventud In the Youth Canteen Iris y Paloma caminan por Harlem Iris and Paloma Take a Walk through Harlem Iris y Paloma en el Museo de la ciudad de Nueva York Iris and Paloma in the Museum of the City of New York Puerto Rico en el alma de un niNo Puerto Rico in the Soul of a Child Part III. Letters Translated by Robin Myers The Burgos GarcIa Family Acknowledgments A Note on Translations and Editions Notes Bibliography to the Introduction Contributors Index
"How grateful I am that nuestra Julia de Burgos, writer, feminist, social activist, can now become more fully accessible to monolingual English readers. With this comprehensive critical introduction to her life and work, nuestra Julia becomes a Julia for all of America. A treasure trove for those who did not know of her work or want to know more." - Julia Alvarez, author of The Cemetery of Untold Stories "This collection is a timely and necessary work of scholarship and translation as well as a revisiting of an important voice in Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and hemispheric poetic and political thought. Vanessa PErez-Rosario's collaborative efforts and ethical care serve to illuminate new dimensions of Julia de Burgos's thought and legacy." - Yomaira C. Figueroa-Vasquez "Everyone should rush out immediately and get a copy of this dazzling, monumental translation of Julia de Burgos's extraordinary writing. The work of Burgos is graced by a strikingly brilliant rendering by some of today's most inspired and inspiring literary translators, many of whom are themselves celebrated writers. I Am My Own Path is a treasure trove, a lighthouse, and essential reading for anyone interested in poetry, poetics, Puerto Rican letters, or the literature of the Americas. This vital volume is a historical event not to be missed!" - Rachel Galvin, author of Uterotopia: Poems "This collection, which further establishes Julia de Burgos's importance and gives her work new expression in English, is orchestrated by a scholar who knows de Burgos and her work better than anyone else: Vanessa PErez-Rosario. She has assembled an all-star lineup of influential poets and scholars to help translate de Burgos's writing for a multilingual readership. Period translations from decades back are complemented by new ones from a stellar array of emerging and established contemporary literary figures. The deft, top-notch curation of this book makes it a powerful tool for expanding our understanding of de Burgos's work." - Esther Allen, translator of The Suicides by Antonio Di Benedetto
