Book excerpt: Originally published in Peru in 1919 before the poet fled to Europe to avoid incarceration, this collection of poems is the first from aman who would become a significant voice of Latin American poetry. Cesar Vallejo's work reveals a mystical and social vision that penetrates the deepest recesses of the human spirit and consciousness, and is influenced by the many experiences he had in his relatively short life of 49 years, including time in jail, the alienation of exile, poverty, exploitation, and war."