Pieces of Shadow gathers a selection of poetry by twentieth century Mexican writer Jaime Sabines, one of the most important figures in Spanish-American literature. This book assembles poems from his most recognized books, such as Horal (1950), Tarumba (1956), Yuria (1967) or Other Collected Poems (1950-1995), titles which earned Sabines many devoted readers and enthusiastic critics. The anthology has been translated into English by American poet W.S. Merwin. In Merwins words, what captured him of Sabines poetry was the jarring authenticity of passion in [the] tone, a great cracked bell note of craving and frustration, irony and anger, outrage and black humor all jangled at once, unabashed, unsweetened, unappeased, and all of it essential to the rest. These same features still remain in Sabines poetry for the new readers who will immerse in the literary work of a classic of modern Mexican literature.
