Liverpool Monographs in Hispanic Studies 4

The Structured World of Jorge Guillén. A Study of Cántico and Clamor

Elizabeth Matthews

LMHS 4. ISBN: 978-0-905205-23-6. Cloth, x+362pp. Publ. 1985.

In this study of the work of Jorge Guillén (1893-1984), an important twentieth-century Spanish poet, Dr Matthews argues that his vision of the world as an ordered harmonious unity is echoed in the structural symmetry of his work. Close analysis of twelve long poems, forming ideological and structural pillars of the Cántico and Clamor volumes, reveals the intricacies of Guillén's mimesis of cosmic harmony. The first English translations of the twelve poems appear in an appendix.

Reviews

Romance Quarterly 35 (1988) 249-51 (Mary-Garland Jackson): "a compact introduction to the poet, a review of his development through Clamor, intelligent close readings of twelve of his major poems, and competent renderings of these poems into English – all in well-written, accurately researched, attractively presented, and almost flawlessly edited form"

Hispanic Review 54 (1986) 352-4 (Andrew J. Debicki): "Matthews offers a precise study of the poet's main themes which, without modifying in a major way earlier overviews, contributes many new insights and deepens our general vision of his work."

Bulletin of Hispanic Studies 65 (1988) 196-7 (Geoffrey Connell)

Anales de la literatura española contemporánea 11 (1986) 469-70 (Douglas K. Benson): "The solid execution of interpretation in both the introductory chapters and the lengthier studies makes this both an excellent introduction to Guillén ... and a volume of interest to serious Guillén scholars."