Crucifixion in the Plaza de Armas
Crucifixion in the Plaza de Armas is a collection of Martín Espada’s Puerto Rico poems. Espada means “sword” in Spanish, and the poet contemplates the meanings of his name for conquerors and rebels over the centuries. He writes of colonialism and the movement for independence, from the Ponce Massacre to the epic life of Clemente Soto Vélez, a poet imprisoned for ‘seditious conspiracy.’ Espada also creates a narrative of family, searching the mountains for the grave of his great-grandfather or bearing witness to the struggles of his cousins to survive. These poems insist on the details that give history a human face and resistance a human voice, finding transcendence in the music of African slaves, in the caves where spirits dwell, even in the miraculous mop of a janitor.
"The best new poet I’ve read for years."--Adrian Mitchell
"The best new poet I’ve read for years."--Adrian Mitchell