Known as the most important 'minority' U.S. poet since Langston Hughes (Booklist), Martin Espada has entranced hundres of audiences across the country, at college campuses, prisons, churches, even a tortilla factory and a boxing gym, but Now the Dead Will Dance the Mambo is his first audio collection of poems. Many of these poems arise from his Puerto Rican heritage and his work experiences, ranging from bouncer to tenant lawyer. Poems heard here include Imagine the Angels of Bread, his celebration of political imagination; En la calle San Sebastian, a bilingual evocation of the music brought to Puerto Rico by the slaves from Africa; Thanksgiving, a satirical non-ode to this national holiday; and Albanza: In Praise of Local 100, his tribute to the food service workers who lost their lives in the attack on the World Trade Center. Recorded both live and in the studio, this recording demonstates clearly why Sandra Cisneros calls Martin Espada the Pablo Neruda of North American authors.
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"Espada reading his works, his deep rumbling voice and sense of humor illuminate his poetry."
—
Rebecca (5 out of 5 stars)