The spaces between

A collection of melancholic and lyrical, outrageous and funny, profound and accessible poems by Argentinian critic and poet Jorge Fondbrider, translated by acclaimed academic, novelist, poet and translator, Richard Gwyn. Casgliad o gerddi pruddglwyfus a thelynegol, ysgytwol a doniol, dwys a chyrhaeddadwy gan feirniad a bardd Archentaidd, wedi eu cyfieithu gan yr academydd, nofelydd, bardd a chyfieithydd Richard Gwyn. Fondebriders distinctive tone - melancholic but never sentimental, edgily lyrical, sometimes outrageous, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, and always manifesting a forensic curiosity towards both inner and outer worlds is both profound and accessible; his poetry is first and foremost an act of communication which reaches across cultural and geographical boundaries. These poems, beautifully translated in both word and spirit by the award-winning poet and novelist Richard Gwyn, deserve a wide readership across the English speaking world, not only as fine examples of poetic language and technique, but as part of the rich literary conversation between Europe and Latin America which pre-dates and potentially outweighs the sniping of contemporary politics and international relations. Fondebrider and Gwyns work undoubtedly makes a valuable and inspiring contribution to contemporary poetry in English. Tiffany Atkinson The poetical bridges between English and Spanish, two of the most significant languages in the whole literary world, could certainly be stronger and wider. Fondebriders collection, beautifully rendered into English by Richard Gwyn, is an exciting opportunity to start doing so. It is very rare indeed to find such a high-quality English version of a relevant living Latin American poet, as is the case here. Jorge Fondebrider is not only one of the most brilliant poets of his generation in Argentina (bringing a new breeze of modernity during the eighties, after the dark period of the dictatorship, and founding the legendary magazine Diario de Poesa); but also an influential critic and a highly regarded translator himself, from English and French. I think Jorge Fondebrider has been lucky to eventually find, after three decades of activity, such a precise, natural and sensitive translation. Andrs Neuman.