Description
Book SynopsisTo the North / Al norte is a book of poetry written by the Nicaraguan poet León Salvatierra. The work reflects on countless stories of the Central American diaspora that emerged from the civil wars in the 1980s. The underlying arc is the experiences, memories, visions, and dreams of a 15-year-old boy from Nicaragua, who embarked on a journey to the United States, together with a group of 40 other migrants from Central America. Despite being undocumented for 11 years, he establishes himself in this country becoming a naturalized American citizen with a university education. Salvatierra mixes lyrical and prose poems to explore the experience of exile and the search for his own space in a new country and language. His powerful metaphors and fresh images inhabit spaces fraught with violence, anxiety, and vulnerability that undocumented Central American migrants commonly live through in their transnational journey. His vivid and first-hand memories of Nicaragua tie the personal experiences of his poetic subjects with the geopolitical history between the Central American region and the United States.
Trade Review"By combining prose and poetry, and blurring the boundaries between genres and nations, Salvatierra manages to assert individual agency and wrest control of his own story."—Diego Báez. Poetry Foundation
"Largely translated by Javier O. Huerta, it is simultaneously heartbreaking and hilarious — even more so if you can read it in both languages."—Daniel A. Olivas,
Los Angeles Times"The collection chronicles the poet's journey from Nicaragua to the U.S. as he faces obstacles as an undocumented teenager and as he adjusts to the demands of life in a new land. To read this book is to get is poignant and poetic look at what it means to be marginalized in the U.S."—Jose B. Gonzalez,
Latino Stories"The poetry here is at once intimate and public, which makes for a complex and rich alchemy. León Salvatierra's range of registers is breathtaking."—Francisco Aragón, poet, editor, director of
Letras Latinas at the Institute for Latino Studies, University of Norte Dame, and author of
After Rubén"
To the North/Al norte makes poetry feel essential, that without it, Salvatierra's speakers would become unmoored, losing everything that they have tried so hard to recover. Salvatierra clearly revels in language. . . . This collection is a significant contribution to the growing body of undocumented literature as well as Latinx literature."—Maceo Montoya, professor, University of California, Davis, author of
Preparatory Notes for Future Masterpieces"The memory and humanity that Salvatierra reaps along the way are ultimately challenged, and subdued . . . What we're left with is the impression of autonomy; and its anatomy of longing."—
Delphic ReviewsTable of Contents
- Contents
- Introduction
- Introducción
- To the Reader
- Al lector
- At the Cemetery
- En el cementerio
- Act
- Acto
- General Index
- Índice general
- Memory
- Memoria
- Upon Returning
- Al regreso
- Alexis vs. Pryor
- Alexis vs. Pryor
- I, Too, Speak of Rivers
- Yo también hablo de ríos
- Stray Thought
- Pensamiento callejero
- Insomnia I
- Insomnio I
- The Case of My Books
- El caso de mis libros
- Keyboard Voices
- Las voces del teclado
- Jump
- Salto
- To the North
- Al norte
- Luxembourg
- Luxemburgo
- León Salvatierra was born the day they killed somoza
- León Salvatierra nació el día que mataron a somoza
- Boom
- Boom
- Paranoia
- Paranoia
- ...Watching TV
- Insomnio C
- Insomnia C
- The Night Manny Pacquiao Reconfigured Oscar De La Hoya's Beautiful Face
- La noche que Manny Pacquiao reconfiguró el bello rostro de Oscar De La Hoya
- Christmas News
- Noticia de Navidad
- Gift
- Regalo
- Santa's Diet
- La dieta de Santa
- The Weight of Love
- El peso del amor
- Attempt
- Intento
- Insomnia O
- Insomnio O
- Canes on Fire
- Bastones encendidos
- Yahoo AccountCuenta Yahoo
- The Boy's Nose
- La nariz del niño
- The Swearing of the Immigrant
- The Swearing of the Immigrant
- Shadowboxing
- Boxeando la sombra
- Canto One
- Canto Uno
- Exit NY
- Exit NY
- About the Author and Translator
