Interview With Author Elwin Lorne Wirkala

1. What inspired you to write this book? Love of poetry. A prof at the U of Mexico praised my translation of Sor Juana's Dream to the skies and encouraged my to publish. That and my love of poetry and of Sor Juana.  

2. What exactly is it about and who is it written for? It's a translation of Sor Juana's masterpiece, in my opinion the greatest poem in the Spanish language or English for that matter. It's a true masterpiece with hidden prompts to profound thinking about thinking. The book translates the poem side-by-side and line by line with the original, after which it copies samples of Sor Juana's literary sources (The Dryden and Sandys translations of Ovid's Metamorphoses, The Bible, etc., after which I offer explanations of topics that come up in the poem (eagle lore, the war between the pygmies and the cranes, much else.) Then my opinions, for what they're worth, on the poem as a whole. It's considered a cryptic poem, but it presents a simple view of how to approach, and how not to approach, divinity...basically, like Pico della Mirandola's "Oration on the Dignity of Man" it conveys a surprisingly simple message about the nature of salvation/soteria independent of creed and Cross (though Sor Juana was a nun), and is in essence based on the Greek philosophical points about the importance of virtue in the cultivation of wisdom. Written for lovers of literature and especially poetry, but will probably find some readers in the "Sorjuanista" community. While it's considered a poem about intellectual disappointment at failure to achieve holistic all-at-once vision of the Cosmos, it's also about why we fail...so it explains the journey of the soul, so to speak, from the Platonic and Neoplatonic perspective with some forays into Buddhism, Spinoza, etc. 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? A clear grasp of what Aldous Huxley explains in his The Perennial Philosophy, the wisdom tradition at the core of "organized religion". Also: an understanding of the need for integration of mind and soul, left and right modes of thought. I've provided many quotes from neuroscientists and students of brain-mind (Roger Sperry, Robert Ornstein, Iain McGilchrist, etc.) 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? Intuitively, I suppose. And serendipitously. An original portrait of Sor Juana surfaced at the Colnaghi Gallery after 350 years in a private collection, so it became a shoo-in for the cover. Also, a couple of university profs gave me some truly unexpected praise, so that accounts for the back cover. The spine is red because I like bright color. The covers are white because white is bright and cheery unless you're a fan of Melville. 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? Follow your bliss, as Campbell said. Don't try to write for an audience in order to garner a writerly reputation. Be as sincere as possible, which ain't easy. Pride is a spoiler, which is the main source of First Dream's drama and also humor.  

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? Everything is always going to hell and heaven; technology is creating opportunities for lone wolves like yours truly to actually be present in major for all over the world, so in that sense it's providing all kinds of access to all kinds of people, both readers and writers. I like the fact that e-readers have not killed the physical book publishing industry.  

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? Getting sensitized to poetry in childhood...maybe it's in the DNA, as some ancestors were also sensitive to poetry. Learning Spanish and Portuguese obviously allowed me to become a translator.  Having an ear sensitive to the articulatory "dance" and its beauty when issuing from a true poet like Sor Juana, whose rhythms and so on are like a magic carpet for what she means to convey. Also, I began to read her at an interval in life that was not easy. I needed great art and deep philosophy "as the hart panteth after the water brook", so to speak. Never thought a book might be in the offing. Oh. I was praised in a letter to a friend by the late Jean Garrigue, who called me her "star" (blush blush) and a prof who's writing her biography contacted me and sent me that letter. Also, poet-prof Frederick Turner told me he was "moved" and so on by my translation of Quevedo's "From the Tower", which is about the value of reading in terms of self-betterment. My professor and mentor friend at the U. of Mexico gushed me into the thought that maybe I should actually write the book displayed at Frankfurt.  

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? Sir Richard Burton (the 19th century Burton) translates in the way folks say I do...that is, one follows deictics, the 'beat', the vocal register (frontal cononants, gutturals, etc., which are not accidental if the poet is genuine). Robert Graves ("To Juan at the Winter Solstice", the first strophe, tells it like I see it). Richard Wilbur. Robert Frost, in a small way. Emily Dickinson's "A loss of something ever felt I" sums me up as well as her.  

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? I'm still in a muddle of challenges, but the basic format is there. Since I have strong opinions on religious myth as well as spiritual opportunity along Platonic and Neoplatonic lines (like Sor Juana), I'm trying to root out my tendency to rant. It's like when I translate: after awhile, in some sense, the words seem to begin to shuffle of themselves and that's really special.  

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? Assuming they have the Einsteinian "cosmic religious" feeling, and are not too fanatical about whatever creed, if any, they were born in or converted to, and if they enjoy the thoughts and guidance of deep thinkers as opposed to what Graves calls "mere gleemen", then they will enjoy and perhaps profit from the many citations I include in the book. Many are called but few are chosen! Also, non-Spanish-speaking book lovers interested in Sor Juana may be drawn to my book because the translation has been deemed praiseworthy. Others, mystified by but attracted to Primero Sueño may be interested in my claim, which seems outrageous, to actually understand the poem. Women may be drawn to it. Sor Juana may justifiably be called the author of the first feminist manifesto in the Americas. What a genius. Learned to read at 3, Latin at 8...and I think my book does justice to her deep understanding of life and the world.

About The Author: "Telegraphically yours": Former logger in youth. Rodeo experience (bareback bronc). Master's Degree. Peace Corps Volunteer. 21 years in South America. Wife (Argentine) introduced me to Sor Juana. Sensitized to poetry in childhood. Memory full of poems. Married, 3 daughters, 6 granddaughters. Translator. Former language instructor at U. of Washington. Former English teacher to president of Brazil. Fluent in Portuguese and Spanish. For more information, please see: https://elwinspoetrytranslations.blogspot.com/.    

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