Felipe
Benítez Reyes is considered one of the primary figures
of Spain's literary Generation X and the contemporary Spanish
movement called The Poetry of Experience, though he questions
the validity of such labels. One of the most significant contributors
to the Spanish Postmodern esthetic, his work speaks, among other
things, to issues of voice, persona, and the possibilities of
fiction. Probable Lives , his most highly acclaimed book,
won the 1996 National Book Award in Spain, the 1996 National Critics'
Award in Spain, and the City of Melilla International Prize. He
has garnered the Ateneo de Sevilla Prize for his novel, Humo
( Smoke , 1995), the Ojo Crítico Award from
Radio Nacional , as well as the Luis Cernuda Prize and
Fundación Loewe Prize. His earlier books of poems can be
found in the compilations Poesía 1979-1987 (
Poetry 1979-1987 ) and Paraísos y mundos (
Paradises and Worlds , 1996) and his most recent collections
of poetry include El equipaje abierto ( Open Luggage
, 1996) and Escaparate de venenos ( The Poison
Display , 2000). Benítez considers himself as much
a writer of prose as he is a poet�in addition to his many books
of poems, he has also published numerous novels and collections
of short stories. His translation of T.S. Eliot's book, Prufrock
and Other Observations , was released in 2000. Felipe Benítez
Reyes lives in his hometown of Rota with his wife, the translator
Silvia Barbero.
Translator
Aaron Zaritzky was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He graduated
from the Creative Writing Workshop at Oberlin College (2000) and
recently completed a Masters of Fine Arts in Poetry from the University
of Arizona (2004). He taught Spanish language at the high school
level for two years, and has worked as a language instructor for
the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of
Arizona since 2002. He has read for the literary journal Sonora
Review , and he received a Tinker Grant to research Benítez's
use of literary allusion in the Spanish National Library and elsewhere.
He is currently ghostwriting a book for his father, and is trying
complete his own book of character-poets, none of whom wish to
cooperate. He currently lives in Tucson with his wife, Yosálida,
and their cat, Humo.
BOA
books by Felipe Benítez Reyes:
Probable Lives
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