SEPTEMBER ELEGIES

This collection of elegiac poems reflects the timeless and organic structure of the Greek elegy. Once thought to be a lamentation for the dead, the elegy, in its truest form, is a personal sentiment written as a love poem, a narrative description, or a conjecture. The author quickly initiates a clear understanding of the original meaning of this genre, forming an eclectic array of personal narratives. Written in free verse and skillfully translated into English, this collection keeps with the Spanish lyrical traditions established by Federico García Lorca's Llanto por Ignacio Sánchez Mejía and Francisco de Quevedo's Mire los muros de la patria mía. Pastoriza Iyodo's observations are unrestrained, brooding over themes like poverty, war, nature, and the unpredictable design of humanity. The poem "What Was All That About" exemplifies his open temperament, as when he writes "because the poverty of the spirit/ because the poverty of the penny/ did not arrive gratuitously/ so easily someone must have invented it." He continues with a resplendent verse: "I cannot avoid the terrible temptation/ of sitting beside the blue-glazed river/ and seeing all the royal splendor of the water." Intimate in its creation, this book will complement any collection. Recommended for bookstores, libraries, and all aficionados of both English and Spanish poetry.—Rick Villalobos, Villa Park P.L., IL