Providing a basis for understanding the main lines of development of poetry in Spanish America after Vanguardism, this volume begins with an overview of the situation at the mid-century: the later work of Neruda and Borges, the emergence of Paz. Consideration is then given to the decisive impact of Parra and the rise of colloquial poetry, politico-social poetry [Dalton, Cardenal] and representative figures such as Orozco, Pacheco and Cisneros. The aim is to establish a few paths through the largely unmapped jungle of Spanish American poetry in the time period. The author emphasises the persistence of a generally negative view of the human condition and the poets' exploration of different ways of responding to it. These vary from outright scepticism to the ideological, the religious or those derived from some degree of confidence in the creative imagination as cognitive. At the same time there is analysis of the evolving outlook on poetry of the writers in question, both in regard to its possible social role and in regard to diction. DONALD SHAW holds the Brown Forman Chair of Spanish American literature in the University of Virginia.

Shaw moves at the level of the great scholars of Latin American poetry.'

Source: Iberoamericana

Donald Shaw's thorough and well-researched volume contributes to the continuing mini-revival in the anglophone academy's study of Spanish American poetry. [An] scholarly and assured work.'

Source: Modern Language Review

El acierto del libro es doble y consiste en primer lugar en una introducción concisa, oportuna y rigurosa a la poesía latinoamericana, a la forma cómo se ha leído y al contexto histórico e estético alrededor de cada movimiento y poeta estudiado por Shaw. Yuxtapuesta se encuentra la segunda parte del acierto, donde creo que de verdad se encuentra la relevancia del libro. Ésta es la llamada de atención que Shaw hace a la crítica ... para que se ponga al día y busque otros mecanismos interpretativos que cuestionen el análisis descriptivo y temático que, en suma, es solo una de las prácticas de lectura posibles, sobre todo en el caso de un corpus tan heterogéneo como el de la poesía hispánica en la segunda mitad del siglo veinte.'

Source: Revista Iberoamericana