Pichka Harawikuna: Five Quechua Poets (Poetry in Indigenous Languages Series)

Rating:
Summary: A world poetry gem
Review: This book is trilingual; unfortunately I know no Quechua but I appreciated the original text as one can get some sense of the sound of the poetry as originally written. A comparison of the Spanish and the English gives some indication of the choices made in translation. I would buy the book solely to support its trilingual intent.

However, I recommend the book based on content. The poets range from political to traditional - every reader will have their own favorites. My favorites are: 1) Red Skirt - a delightful exploration of male/female interactions 2) Black Louse, White Louse - a poem that reminds me of a local Native American louse tale

You will find most of the poems heavily influenced by contemporary Hispanic poetry but retaining a sufficient touch of Quechua culture to set them apart. Somewhere among the collection, you should also find a poem or two to add to your collection of "favorite poems".