Available for pre-order only.

Víctor Terán has been described as the most ‘personal’ poet of the Zapotec Isthmus of Oaxaca, Mexico. His poems, highly lyrical and imagistic, explore two deep passions: the electricity that passes between bodies in love, and Terán's fierce devotion to the Indigenous land and language of his birth. This carefully curated selection of poems, drawing from the whole of Terán’s poetic oeuvre, is translated into English by his long-time translator and interlocutor, the poet Shook, working from Spanish bridge-translations made by the author.

The Poetry Translation Centre’s World Poet Series showcases the most exciting living poets from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

"These are stunning, halting, lilting poems of flesh and flower, of boulder and bone. Vivid and meditative, I hummed among their hills, they hummed in mine." - Inua Ellams

"These beautiful, subtle, sumptuous translations set alongside the original work make for a feast for the ears and the eyes alike." - Adam O'Riordan

"Víctor Terán's voice stands as a powerful testament to the strength and resilience of the Zapotec people and their endangered language. His poems are characterised by a clear and refined beauty, whether penning a love poem for his beloved, describing the evocative landscape and people of Juchitán, Oaxaca, or denouncing soldiers who commit atrocities. Terán's writing style is marked by precision and simplicity, taking the reader on a dazzling journey of discoveries. Shook has produced exquisite translations into English, revealing a poet of great brilliance and bringing closer one of the most important Latin American voices of his generation to English-speaking readers: ‘I know where I come from / and I know where I'm headed, / though it rains, I'll arrive aflame, / my blood the blood of eagle-men." - Leo Boix