Date of Graduation

5-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

English

Advisor/Mentor

John DuVal

Committee Member

Padma Viswanathan

Second Committee Member

Geoffrey Brock

Keywords

English, poetry, Spanish, translation

Abstract

This is a translation of Dr. Erika Almenara’s complete published collection of poetry. The original publications span a period of over twelve years of work, with books published in 2006, 2008, and 2018. The first book of poetry in this series of translations, Reino Cerrado (Closed Kingdom), explores the profound contemplations of life and how to turn those thoughts into words and put them on paper. We see images of nature, hear faint religious overtones, and feel the distress of a woman searching for a healthy relationship, and having little luck. Para evitar los rastros (To Avoid All Traces), the second publication in this series, speaks of new found friendships, the difficulty of writing about past experiences, and the desire to trap one’s feelings in the confines of a poem. The last book of the series, Perhaps (this title is originally in English, and I keep it the same in my translation), illustrates the double-edged sword of childhood trauma – the pain caused by the trauma and the pain caused by remembering. But, as we see through this collection, writing is one method of overcoming that sorrow.

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