DESOLATION FIRST BILINGUAL EDITION

Desolation Although Gabriela Mistral’s early years as a poet were spent in her native land, Mistral’s first book was not published in Chile, but in the US in the city of New York, when in 1922, at the initiative of the Spanish literary critic, Federico de Onis, the editorial of the Institute of Spain in New York, published the first edition of Gabriela Mistral’s book of poems and short essays, Desolacion. The book includes poems that speak of love and death such as the well known “Sonnets of Death.” Most of the poems included in the book were written ten years earlier while Mistral was living in the Northern city of Coquimbito, Chile. In 2014, ninety-two years later, the first bilingual edition of this important book has been published and it is being launched in New York in a joint programme sponsored by the prestigious Instituto Cervantes, New York and the foundation that bears her name, the Gabriela Mistral Foundation; and in Washington DC with the sponsorship of the Embassy of Chile in Washington DC, the Chilean-American Foundation and the Gabriela Mistral Foundation. This newly published bilingual edition of Desolation, is the first publication that includes a complete translation. Until now, a selection of poems and seáis from the book have been translated and included in anthologies as well as samplings in other publications. The translations were made by a Chilean professor who offers an insight into the Chilean customs of Mistral’s day which have remained a part of the country’s culture. This bilingual edition will be a helpful source for teachers and students of Latin American authors in English speaking countries.

Prepared by Liliana Baltra, Translator Gloria Garafulich-Grabois, Director, Gabriela Mistral Foundation US DESOLATION, a bilingual edition Translation, Introduction & After word by Liliana Baltra & Michal P. Predmore Published by Latin America Review Press, Pittsburg, PA ISBN: 978-1-891270-24-6

For more information about the launch events in New York and in Washington DC please visit: www.gabrielamistralfoundation.org or email: info@gabrielamistralfoundation.org