Translated from the Spanish by Rowena Hill

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Blind Plain holds a generous selection of Barreto’s poems spanning more than twenty years. In this bilingual edition, Rowena Hill’s dextrous translations properly introduce a contemporary Venezuelan poet to a North American audience. Barreto’s poems, among other things, are earthy and darkly celebratory love letters to a “rotten country.” The landscape is specifically Venezuelan–populated by caimanes and caballos–but Barreto’s poems are expansive; through his unique brand of eco-poetics he speaks for all of us–citizens of nations under the laws of nature.

"[Barreto] is an archeologist of sound, of place, of stories and myths. We might follow his example and listen to the voices we have silenced, those on the fringes, on the borders or running from them, and hear what they can tell us about living, suffering, loss and love." 

—Curtis Bauer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Igor Barreto was born in San Fernando de Apure, Venezuela, on May 26th, 1952. He is a poet, essayist, and a leader of literature workshops. Barreto has published ten books of poems, the latest titled El Muro de Mandelshtam (Editorial Bartleby, 2017, Spain). In 2008 he was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship. Several anthologies of his work have been published: Tierranegra (Ediciones Idea, 2008, Tenerife-Spain), Terranera (Rafaelli Editore, 2010, Italy), and El campo / El ascensor (Complete works. Editorial Pre-textos, 2014, Spain).

363 pages | 5.5 x 7.5 in.
ISBN-13: 978-1-935635-83-3 (paperback)
ISBN-13: 978-1-935635-84-0 (hardcover)