The prominence of Uruguayan poetry stretches from the Uruguayan-born Isidore Ducasse (1846-1870), an inspiration for the French surrealists, to the work of strong early women poets such as Juana de Ibarbourou (1885-1979) and Delmira Agustini (1886-1914). Julio Herrera y Reissig’s (1875-1910) work influenced the development of Spanish-language poets from César Vallejo to Pablo Neruda. In spite of this legacy, Uruguayan poetry has been scarcely translated. This panel features some of those artists who work to change this. Representing multiple generations of writers, the translators responsible for bringing Mario Benedetti (1920-2009), Circe Maia (1932-), Karen Wild Díaz (1984-), and many other contemporary voices to prominence will discuss their commitment and the challenges of their craft.
