Apocryphal Lorca: Translation, Parody, Kitsch

242 Pages·2009·0.93 MB·English

by  Jonathan Mayhew

ApocryphAl lorcA

A p o c r y p h A l l o r c A
TranslaTion, Parody, KiTsch
J o n A t h A n M A y h e w
the University of chicAgo press
Chicago and London
JonAthAn MAyhew is professor of Spanish at the University
of Kansas. He is the author of three books, most recently of
The Twilight of the Avant-Garde: Spanish Poetry, 1980–2000
(2009).
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 2009 by The University of Chicago
All rights reserved. Published 2009
Printed in the United States of America
18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 1 2 3 4 5
ISBN-13: 978-0-226-51203-7 (cloth)
ISBN-10: 0-226-51203-7 (cloth)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mayhew, Jonathan, 1960–
Apocryphal Lorca : translation, parody, kitsch / Jonathan
Mayhew.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-226-51203-7 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-226-51203-7 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. American
poetry—20th century—History and criticism. 2. García
Lorca, Federico, 1898–1936—Influence. 3. García Lorca,
Federico, 1898–1936—Translations into English. 4. García
Lorca, Federico, 1898–1936—Parodies, imitations, etc.
5. García Lorca, Federico, 1898–1936—Adaptations.
6. García Lorca, Federico, 1898–1936—Appreciation—
United States. 7. American poetry—Spanish influences.
I. Title.
PS159.S7M39 2009
868'.6209—dc22
2008036494
a The paper used in this publication meets the minimum
requirements of the American National Standard for Infor-
mation Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
for Akiko and Julia

When the translation and the original meet
The doubtful original and the strong mistranslation
The original feels like a triple pun
And the translation cries, Without me you are lost.
DAvID ShAPIro, “After A LoSt orIgINAL”

contents
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xvii
1 Federico García Lorca (Himself ) 1
2 The American Agenda 22
3 Poet-Translators: Langston Hughes to Paul Blackburn 53
4 The Deep Image 78
5 Apocryphal Lorca: Robert Creeley and Jack Spicer 102
6 Frank O’Hara’s “Lorcaescas” 122
7 Kenneth Koch: Parody and Pedagogy 143
8 Jerome Rothenberg: The Lorca Variations 160
Conclusion: An American Lorca? 175
Notes 183
Bibliography 205
Index 215