Ithaca

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

This 50-page poem is a major contemporary Spanish poet's reworking of the Greek myth of Odysseus, but with one important alteration: This time the story is told from Penelope's perspective. Upon its original Spanish publication, Ithaca earned the 1971 Leopoldo Panero poetry award. Francisca Aguirre was born in Alicante, Spain in 1930. She began publishing late in life, garnering many awards, including the prestigious Esquio Award. She lives in Spain with poet Felix Grande, a member of the second generation of post-civil war poets. Translator Ana Osan was born in Morocco. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. She specializes in translating poetry by women, particularly the translation of long poems such as Ithaca. She lives in Valparaiso, IN.

Author Bio

Fransico Aguirre was born in Alicante, Spain, in 1930. Soon after, because her family sided with the Republic, at the end of the Civil War she had to flee from Spain to France, where her family lived in Le Havre; it is here that Francisca learned to speak French. In 1942, as a result of the German invasion, they were returned to Spain where her father, the painter Lorenzo Aguirre, was murdered by the Franco regime. Like many other of her contemporaries, her writing was sidetracked by familial demands, and she began publishing late in life. In 1971 Itaca (Ithaca) earned the Leopoldo Panero poetry award. Her other awards include the Ciudad de Irun in 1976; the Galiana award in 1994; the prestigious Esquio award in 1995; and the Maria Isabel Fernandez-Simal award in 1999. She is married to the poet Felix Grande, a member of the second generation of post-civil war poets. They live together in Spain. Ana Osan was born in Tangier, Morocco, where she attended French schools and received her baccalaureat. She attended Indiana University Northwest where she majored in English, French, and Spanish. She received a Masters and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. She has been an assistant professor of Spanish at Indiana University Northwest since 2000. Her specialty is poetry by women, particularly the translation of long poems. She recently received a fellowship to translate Anne Hebert's books of poetry.