Just stumbled upon Mumbai-based Almost Island with intimate, disastrous, luminous poetry, prose and essays. Especially striking translations of poetry from twentieth century Bolivia and modern day Saigon.
(Trying not to say interesting or compelling or awesome on the blog anymore. Hay que hacer ejercicio léxico pues.)
A an exerpt from The Night by Jaime Saenz en español and in English translation by Forrest Gander. Sample:
La experiencia más dolorosa, la más triste y aterradora que
imaginarse pueda,
es sin duda la experiencia del alcohol.
Y está al alcance de cualquier mortal.
Abre muchas puertas.
/
The most painful, the most morbid and terrifying
experience imaginable
comes by grace of alcohol.
And any walking stiff who wants it can get it.
It opens door after door.
°°°
Also on Almost Island: Five poems by the Saigon poet, Nguyen Quoc Chanh, translated by Linh Dinh. An excerpt from his poem Post, Post, but not Post... :
Past: I tattooed myself, fought the Chinese.
Now: my granddad hawks tofu.
Past: I flexed myself against the French.
Now: my dad mends shoes on the sidewalk.
A while ago: I risked my life against the Americans.
Now: my wife is anxious to marry an American.
Sometimes I want to forget: O the ones who cry alone!
Sometimes I want to believe: O the ones who cry alone!
Sometimes I want to go mad: O the ones who cry alone!
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