Thaw

Thaw is a book length sequence of short (all 10 lines long) poems. Like haiku, at first glance these seem simple meditations on nature, that, when given time, open out into larger reflections on human experience, emotions and how the three interact. They shine as small gifts of visions or place that envelop the reader with their sensuous immediacy. Nunez enjoys playing with symbols, allowing images to break out to offer intellectual puzzles and literary references. As such the poems dance between literal metaphorical and physical worlds, upending what you may have previously perceived or thought. A rich and peculiar sequence that is both shadowy and illuminating, tender and insistent, broad and deeply personal.

Victor Rodriguez Nunez is one of Cuba's most noteworthy contemporary writers. He has published eleven books of poetry, many of them recipients of literary awards, including the David Prize (Cuba, 1980), the Plural Prize (Mexico, 1983), the EDUCA Prize (Costa Rica, 1995), the Renacimiento Prize (Spain, 2000), the Fray Luis de Leon Prize (Spain, 2005) and the Leonor Prize (Spain, 2006). His poems have appeared in The Kenyon Review, Denver Quarterly, Mid-American Review, Chelsea, New York Quarterly, The Literary Review, New England Review, Circumference, Salt Hill, and many others internationally. He is an Associate Professor of Spanish at Kenyon College, Ohio USA.