I will confess that I haven't had a chance to read Merwin's entire translation of Dante's _Purgatorio_, though I have read about a third to this point. I will say, though, that I have read his Forward, and I found it to be one of the more moving testaments to the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual impact that the _Commedia_ has had on readers, poets and non-poets alike, through the ages. There isn't much new information for the Dante scholar--Merwin acknowledges that his notes are largely based on Singleton's--but this is a translation written out of love, not necessarily scholarship. This is Merwin's editon for the lover of both poets and poetry

One of the greatest literary tragedies is that so many readers believe that the Divine Comedy, or that even Dante himself, is no more than the Inferno. Such ignorance leads to a vast reading public who have never experienced the most immediately human section of the Comedy: the Purgatorio. Unlike Inferno, which is full of characters whom we either revile or pity, Purgatorio introduces us to spirits who, like most of us, try to do the right thing, but aren't always successful. If we look down upon the shades in Hell, we identify with the shades in Purgatory, and it is in this understanding that the Purgatorio gains its beauty. An absolute must read for anyone with any interest in literature, history, theology, spirituality, philosophy, psychiatry, or beauty.

As for Merwin's translation, he has managed to take a giant step in solving the problem that I mentioned above. His translation does justice to the original not only in its accuracy, but in its poetry, which is so important to Dante's works. I have read two other translations of Purgatorio (Mandelbaum and Ciardi), and this is, by far, the most readable and the most engaging of the three. Merwin captures the hopeful but unfilled tone of the poem with considerable grace while still maintaining the structural and thematic tension that are crucial to an understanding of Dante's works. As for the scholarly aspects of the work, scholastics, clearly, were not Merwin's intent. His explanatory notes are minimal (which is preferable to Mandelbaum's copious, and sometimes condescending glosses) and the foreword is more an exploration of the art of translation than of Dante's work. Not that this is a bad thing. Understanding Merwin's reservations concerning translation, and the difficulties of performing it, makes his version of Purgatorio all the more human and touching. But, any reader seeking critical commentary should look elsewhere (and by elsewhere I mean a supplemental source as passing over this translation just because it lacks scholarly material would be criminal). Whether for readers experiencing Purgatorio for the first time, or for Dante aficionados, I can't recomend this volume highly enough. First, Pinsky's Inferno, then Merwin's Purgatorio, now, if only someone would do Paradiso similar justice!

This ambitious work tells the true story of one family's resistance to the wrong-headed efforts to quarantine victims of Hansen's disease (i.e., leprosy) on the Hawaiian islands. The narrative itself is surprisingly involving, with three-dimensional characters, beautiful scene painting, and propulsive drama. Merwin's poetry here takes a roughly anapestic form, somewhat similar in sound to Longfellow's "Evangeline" meter. (And "The Folding Cliffs" has many other interesting parallels with that 19th-century classic.) The language is at times too prosy for my taste, and Merwin's aversion to punctuation often gives the tale a breathless quality that fights against the narrative tempo. Neverthless, this is a great artistic achievement that deserves to be read and (hopefully) imitated.

I agree with most of the comments in the reviews to date (five, prior to mine). Some patience is required for reading this book. At times it's somewhat "foreign" (and unless you're Hawaiian and/or know Hawaii well, you're probably entitled to feel strange), but its language is uniquely rich and its construction and thought are stunningly insightful, very rewarding. Don't be surprised if you're rather inarticulate after reading this book. It's complicated, worth re-reading, and certainly a recommendation for adventurous readers.

I have just finished reading this delightful book. I am also a book editor and publisher, and would like to offer some suggestions should the book ever be reprinted or issued in a new edition. I am very aware of how errors creep in, and I have made a large number of bloopers myself, so no one is perfect, but I would hope a publisher with the vintage prestige of Knopf would make every effort to employ knowledgeable proofreaders. The book is very inconsistent in the spelling of Hawaiian words, with a large number of 'okina (apostrophes) and kahako (macrons) left out. There is at least one spelling error, the name of the newspaper Ka Leo o ka Lahui incorrectly spelled Ka Leo o ka Lauhui ("Voice of the Nation"). The list of personal and geograpnic names at the end is very useful, but far from complete, and it is very difficult to follow some of the text not knowing who some of these people or places are, or having to look back further in the text to identify them. Some of these may be misspelled, I don't know, although I am familiar with the island of Kaua'i (sometimes spelled Kauai in the book), its history and geography. I am also a friend of Frances Frazier, who very kindly recommended the book to me. I hope you give this book wide publicity, and that you have very successful sales. Best wishes,

Since Sabines has worked on a simple poetry, and since his acceptance has been quite enthusiastic, he has done a lot of easy, quite boring poetry for the people. I would only recommend the first books, "Tarumba", "Adán y Eva", "Horal", and "La señal".

Jaime Sabines is the mexican author that write about his earth like this was the heart! His poetry is very popular! and his words are very, very simples...! it is his sensitive!!!

No one can express about life, love, death and pain as Sabines did. The simplicity of his words enclose the beauty of "everyday life". He wrote for him, and for common people, not for poets, big writers or critics. I just can tell one of the most intense experiences of my whole life, was a reading of his poems in the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City. More than 3,000 people cried, laughed, cheered, and loved at the same time there. And the whole show was an old man, reading his poems in a wheelchair, behind a desk. Nothing more.

Lovely and brilliant! Even if Merwin doesn't "know" any asian languages, he sure pulls one over gorgeously with these works- with great help from the various asian translator/collaborators. Read carefully of the Muso Soseki poems, read them into your own being, and you can't help to radiate joy as the poems wash through you!

This is a collection of short stories from a man whose "natural" form (or at least the one in which he's most prolific) is poetry. Thus, the writing is absolutely gorgeous and poetic. However, many readers (not I!) may be turned off by his obscure stories, which, altough they often deal with seemingly prosaic subjects, are quite esoteric. (For instance, one story involves a man who has an enormous rock in his living room which he makes no attempt to move. I don't describe it well, but trust me--it's a fascinating story.) I recommend this book to the open-minded, to lovers of language, to dreamers, and to folks who enjoy pondering the ponderous but who can accept it when they don't understand.

The book was trash. It had no plot, no story, and no action. I couldn't wait to put it down it was so bad, but I had jury duty and there was nothing else to do. I wish I had brought a different book. PLEASE DO NOT GET CAUGHT IN THE SAME SITUATION!!! THIS BOOK IS HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I find it quite amazing that readers find themselves capable of disregarding a playwright's work simply because they have read what could well be a bad edition! This edition of Lorca's Yerma and Blood Wedding is definitely not among the best I have read; others do more justice to the original works. Obviously, much of the content and passion is lost upon translation. I have had the privilege of reading most of Lorca's work in Spanish and must say that he is indeed one of the most influential and talented playwrights (and poets) of our time. Lorca's work is infused with the beauty and passion of the Spanish people and culture and it is quite difficult for us considerably less emotional Americans to understand, let alone feel the intensity of such power; again, this has a lot to do with reading it in English.

I read the review of comyking@home.net and I think that you need to develop literary skills(An education perhaps?!). Maybe then you will undrstand what literature is about. Yerma and La casa de Bernada Alba are two of the most fascinating books I have ever read. They depict the life and frustrations faced by females in an era when chastity, "social stauts and appearance" influenced a woman's life. I think these books are extremely interesting and insightful. One must have an exceptional literary background to appreciate this type of literature.