Join us as we celebrate the release of Fernando Valverde’s new poetry collection, America. Fernando Valverde will be reading his poems in Spanish, and UVA professor Samuel Amago will be reading the translations in English. This in-person event will be free and open to the public. We recommend arriving early for the best seating.
About the Book: In Fernando Valverde’s America, “sorrow is ancient.” Mournfully lyrical, politically sharp, with a sweeping view of American roots, dysfunctions, and ideals—as if from above, and yet also from within—this is a book that deconstructs the legacy of empire. From the Mississippi River to Fulton Avenue, from slavery to “lone wolf” shooters, Valverde grieves but does not wince away from all that is lost to greed and a culture of violence, painting an urgent portrait of “the thirst of America / a smile satisfied to death.” Valverde is widely regarded as one of the most important younger Spanish-language poets. Here his vibrant voice and convictions are translated and introduced by Carolyn Forché, herself a world-renowned poet of witness. Bilingual, with Spanish originals and English translations.
About the Author: Fernando Valverde is one of the preeminent poets writing in the Spanish language today, and he has received international acclaim for his contributions to the art of poetry. Born in Granada, Spain, Valverde has been awarded some of the most prestigious awards for Spanish poetry, and his books have been published across Europe and the Americas. In 2014, his book The Insistence of Harm received the Book of the Year award from the Latino American Writers Institute of the City University of New York. Before coming to the US, Valverde served as a foreign correspondent for Spain’s major paper, El Pais, covering war zones in the Balkans and the Middle East. He has been the director of the International Festival of Poetry in Granada, and he is currently a distinguished visiting professor at the University of Virginia.