Pelican Heart – An Anthology of Poems by Lasana M. Sekou was launched in Mexico at the 10th Conference of the Caribbean Book on November 11, according to the Mexican Association of Caribbean Studies (AMEC).
The poetry of the St. Martin author was presented formally by Dr. Margarita Espinosa, president of AMEC, and discussed before a group of scholars, experts, and university professors at the prestigious National Institute of Anthropology and History (NIAH) in Mexico City.
Dr. Margaret Shrimpton, a researcher and professor at the Autonomous University of the Yucatán, wrote the analysis of the book for the presentation, said Jacqueline Sample, president of House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP).
Specialists from Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, and the USA presented 14 critical and research titles thought to be important Spanish- language books about the Caribbean and Latin America published in 2010, said Sample.
While focusing on "recent publication activity and historical complexities of the Caribbean," panels also discussed the region’s music and theater, stated Repeatingislands.com.
The company of presentations in which Sekou’s Pelican Heart found itself included the new Spanish translation of From Columbus to Castro (De Colón a Castro: la historia del Caribe, 1942-1969) by Eric Williams and The Black Jacobins (Los jacobinos negros) by C.L.R. James – both world-class classics of scholarship and Caribbean history.
The Cuban literary critic and scholar Emilio Jorge Rodríguez, who has been busy introducing Sekou to Hispanic audiences, edited Pelican Heart. Each poem selected by Rodríguez from 10 of Sekou’s books is translated into Spanish.
The Spanish name of Pelican Heart is Corazón de pelícano – Antología poética de Lasana M. Sekou. The 428-page bilingual volume was released here by HNP in 2010, said Sample. amazon.com, spdbooks.org, houseofnehesipublish.com.
The Conference of the Caribbean Book (X Jornada del Libro Caribeño), with this year’s theme of "The Caribbean: History, Culture, and Flavor," was hosted and organized by NIAH and AMEC. The two-day conference opened at the Office of Historical Studies of NIAH on November 11, which is also St. Martin Day.