500,000 Azaleas ─ The Selected Poems of Efra'n Huerta

In verses that fuse highly original imagery with exuberant rhythms, Efrain Huerta probes the cultures of both Mexico and "el Norte," from the impact of racism in Mississippi to political corruption in Mexico. Since he demanded for life and art the same freedom he demanded for politics, his poetry is often erotic. His poems are passionate outcries to love and justice, characterized by original metaphors and an acerbic wit that earned him the nickname "Crocodile."

Efrain Huerta was born was born in Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico in 1914 and died in Mexico City in 1982. He was a professional journalist specializing in film criticism as well as a poet.?Show More During his lifetime he received many honors and awards, including the Palmas Academicas in France in 1945, the Villaurrutia Poetry prize in 1975, and the National Journalism Prize in 1978. 500,000 Azaleas, published with the support of the U.S.-Mexico Fund, is the first collection of his poetry in English.

Jack Hirschman was born in New York City in 1933 and has lived since 1973 in San Francisco. He has published more than 25 translations of poetry from eight languages. His most recent book from Curbstone Press is Endless Threshold.