Viva The Other Tiger

An award-winning academic and writer is to launch his world-first Latin American poetry anthology at the biggest book fair in the Spanish-speaking world.

In a major labour of love, Richard Gwyn has mixed established and new voices to create the first truly contemporary collection of poetry from the Spanish-speaking world post 1945. The Other Tiger: Recent Poetry from Latin America features 156 poems by almost 100 poets from 16 nations across Latin America.

The Latin American launch of The Other Tiger takes place in Mexico on 29th November at the invitation of the Fería Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara (FIL).

Mexican poets Fabio Morábito and Julián Herbert will lead a discussion and interview with the translator at the prestigious fair, recognised as the most important publishing gathering in Ibero-America.

During the trip, the 2014 Arts Council of Wales Creative Ambassador will also launch a new collection of his poems in translation, Ciudades y recuerdos. The Director of Arts at the British Council México Edgardo Bermejo Mora and Argentine poet and novelist Andrés Neuman will present and interview the writer about his latest poetry and its Spanish translation at the special event on 30th November.

In his distinguished career, the Welsh poet, novelist and translator has published poetry in translation from Spanish, Catalan and Turkish. His latest book, the memoir The Vagabond’s Breakfast won a Wales Book of the Year Award for creative non-fiction.

“I’m honoured to be invited back to the Guadalajara Book Fair for the second time in five years” said Professor Gwyn, Head of Creative Writing at the University. “The Other Tiger has only recently been launched in the UK, and to get the opportunity to present it in Mexico, with half a dozen of the poets who are included in the anthology present, and reading their work, will be a real privilege. My other book, Ciudades y recuerdos, contains poems that have not been published in book form yet in the UK.”

The Latin American trip is made possible by invitation of the Fería Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara, and with the financial support of The British Council Mexico and Wales Arts International.

The Other Tiger: Recent Poetry from Latin America is published by Wales-based publishers Seren. Ciudades y recuerdos is translated by Jorge Fondebrider and published by Trilce.