Book excerpt: The passionate life and violent death of Federico Garcia Lorca (1898–1936) retain an enduring fascination for readers around the world. Murdered by Nationalists at the outset of the Spanish Civil War, Lorca died at the peak of his creative powers. He remains his country's most widely translated writer, surpassed only by Cervantes in terms of critical commentary. This selection includes 55 of the 68 poems that comprised Lorca's 1921 Libro de poemas, all of them in their entirety and in their original sequence. Imbued with the spirit and folklore of the poet's native Andalusia, these verses feature the most complex spiritual content of any of Lorca's works. Editor Stanley Appelbaum provides sensitive, accurate English translations on the pages facing the original Spanish, as well as an informative introduction to the author's life and oeuvre, plus notes on the individual poems. An outstanding resource for students and teachers of Spanish language and literature, this compilation will enchant any lover of poetry.