The following books were used for the selection of materials:. Bori
nquen: An Anthology of Puerto Rican Literature
,
Doors and Mirrors
,
Roots and Wings
,
Spanish-American Literature in Translation
, and
Translations in Verse
. Of these five,
Doors and Mirrors
and
Roots
and Wings
are bilingual (Spanish-English) editions, while the rest are translations in English only. I especially liked
Roots and Wings.
Of the books that deal with translation, Edwin Conn’s
Handbook
is helpful, with practical information for the translator. He also discusses the various schools of translation.
The Astonishment of Words
is a fun book to read, even if you don’t understand the translation of your favorite Irving Berlin song. Basically, the author offers translations of pieces he wanted to have in translation. The
Forked Tongue
is a more scholarly work dealing with the somewhat arduous task of translating Indonesian poetry into English. It also contains a lot of correspondence that revolved around certain translations. Skip the correspondence. Woodhouslee’s book is a very substantial early essay on the principles of translation, many of which are maintained today.
Of the books dealing with literature/poetry, Higgen’s book,
Beyond Words
, brings children’s literature into a new light—useful for those who deal with works designed for children.
Wishes, Lies and Dreams
is an especially valuable tool for poetry generation in the classroom.
The Elements of Poetry
and
Sound and Sense
are both very helpful for the teacher of poetry, giving wonderful explanations of the elements of poetry.
Let Them Write Poetry
is somewhat like Koch’s book in ideas and ideals, though older and less urbane.
Poetry
:
A Closer Look
offers some good programmed exercises for getting through the poem.
A Prosody Handbook
takes
Sound and Sense
and
The Elements of Poetry
one step beyond—a comprehensive book that gets back to the basics of poetics.
The Necessary Angel
is enlightening for side reading.
The ABC of Reading
is irreverent and delightful. It contains some helpful exercises for the classroom. Read the whole book, but see Chapter 8, pp. 63-70 especially.
Milic’s article on the possibility of poetry generation by the computer is fascinating. Read also Leighton’s article on “Sonnets and Computers” in the same volume.