Nine Coins/Nueve monedas

The winner of the Paz Prize for Poetry, presented by the National Poetry Series; published in both English and Spanish.

—The winner of the Paz Prize for Poetry, presented by the National Poetry Series; published in both English and Spanish.

—Carlos Pintado is a finalist for the 2015–2016 CINTAS Foundation Fellowship in Creative Writing

—Named a Notable Translation of 2015 by World Literature Today

—The Moon has been selected as one of Vancouver Poetry House’s 10 Best Poems of 2015

Translated by Hilary Vaughn Dobel.

Nine Coins/Nueve monedas is a palimpsest of love, fears, dreams, and the intimate landscapes where the author seeks refuge. These poems appear like small islands of salvation, covered with the brief splendor of the coins people sometimes grab hold of, taking the form of a very personal and often devastating map. Each poem is a song at the edge of an abyss; an illusory gold coin obtained as a revelation; a song of hope and understanding. The volume’s dreamlike geography prompts the reader to revisit the thread, the labyrinth, and the Minotaur’s legends. The night streets of South Beach, Alexandria, and many other cities, lit by the fading torches, seem to guide us in conversation with characters who are long dead.

The Paz Prize for Poetry is presented by the National Poetry Series and The Center at Miami Dade College. This annual award—named in the spirit of the late Nobel Prize–winning poet, Octavio Paz—honors a previously unpublished book of poetry written originally in Spanish by an American resident. An open competition is held each May, when an esteemed Spanish-speaking poet selects a winning manuscript. The book will be published in a bilingual edition by Akashic Books. The winning poet will also receive a $2,000 cash prize.