100 Great Indian Poems translated into Spanish

100 Great Indian Poems, a collection of poems written in 28 Indian languages spanning over three thousand years of Indian poetry has now been translated into Spanish and published by the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico.

The Spanish edition of 100 Great Indian Poems titled as 'Cien Grandes Poemas de la India' was launched at UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) in Mexico City on October 3 and at Casa Del Libros in Monterrey, Mexico on October 4.

During the event, editor of anthology Abhay K. said that the Spanish edition of the book would act as a literary bridge between India and Latin America, along with its Portuguese edition which was earlier published in February this year by the University of Sao Paulo. During the launch of the book, he also remembered Mexican poet and Ambassador Octavio Paz who wrote a memorable book on India titled 'In Light of India'.

A number of a well-known poet-translators have translated these poems into Spanish. They include Aurora Pinheiro, Alicia Silvestre, Alan Meller, Juan Villavicencio, Sergio Badilla Castillo, Arrigada Zubeita, Juan Garrido Salgado, Oscar Limache, Juan Carlos Olivas, Indran Amirthanayagam, Victor Rodrigues Nunes, Katherine Hedeen, and Jesus Sepulveda among others.

These poems have also been translated into Nepali, Italian and Russian and are likely to be published in these languages soon.

ABOUT THE BOOK '100 GREAT INDIAN POEMS'

It is an anthology of 100 poems from over 25 Indian languages. Compiled by Abhay Kumar, it was released in June 2018. From the 'stale chapati' of Dilip Chitre to the literate parrots of Basavanna, the 'clay shivalingam' of Eunice de Souza to the 'tiny sweat' of Mir Taqi Mir, give us tangible reminders of how we think, feel, and love. Containing both classic and contemporary poems, the collection of poems is really captivating. It is a must-have on every avid reader's library. Having some of the most beautiful, thought-provoking jewels from India's rich cultural and literary history, the poems in the book are relatively lesser known. 

One of the poems, which has been translated from Bengali, goes:

A poem never says anything.

It just opens a door, quietly.

Sleepless and bent

just like my aged father

waiting for me in a lonely winter night.