Bodies in Motion - 9780838757444

Bellver (Spanish, University of Nevada, Las Vegas) uses the metaphor of the moving body, human or mechanical, for the work of Spanish Vanguard poetry composed between the wars. The first section, after setting the movement in its historical context, is the image of dance. Spanish traditional dances merge into jazz as poets use traditional themes when writing about the new Anglo and North American cultural influences. In this part she introduces the sub theme of gender differences in form and expression among the poets. Women writing about dance see the form and themselves differently from male writers. This is continued in the next section, on sport, where male poets perceive female athletes as objects of desire, while women write them as examples of liberation. The writing on the movement of machines also follows gender stereotypes, with men glorifying the machine in order to master it while most women see machines as tools that would allow them more freedom outside the drudgery of maintaining a home. Poets include, García Lorca, Concha Méndez, Pedro Salinas, Ernestina de Champourcin, Guillermo de Torre, among may others. The poems are given first in Spanish followed by exquisitely poetic and accurate translations, a rare feat. Distributed by Associated University Presses. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)