Casting Off

CLARIBEL ALEGRÍA was a Salvadorian-Nicaraguan poet, essayist, novelist, and journalist who was a major voice in the literature of contemporary Central America. She has been called "one of the region's finest writers" by The Washington Post. Alegría published over forty books, including fifteen collections of poetry, and was a recipient of the Casa de las Americas Prize of Cuba. Her works in English include Ashes of Izalco, Luisa in Realityland, and Family Album. She was awarded the 2006 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. She died in 2018.

A new collection by El Salvador's premier poet, exploring love and loss. Now in her 70s, Claribel Alegria is universally recogonized as the major living poet of El Salvador. Casting Off extends the themes Alegria explored in Sorrow: the loss of a loved one, solitude, and reflections on the past. As the title implies, this collection is also a lyric farewell: "My footsteps are leading/toward quiet solitude/toward the starsilence/that has no more questions." She is becoming increasingly well-known in the U.S. as a result of her many tours, readings, and residencies. She will return to the U.S. in the spring to promote Casting Off. The English versions in this bilingual edition are by renowned translator Margaret Sayers Peden, who beautifully preseves the lyric quality of this major poet at the height of her career. The Ache of Absence Oh how my fingertips ache When I hold out my hand And don't find you.