
The Popol Vuh
Milkweed Editions (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 22. November 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
312 pages
978-1-57131-468-0 (ISBN)
Description
A NEW YORK TIMES BEST POETRY BOOK OF THE YEAR
In the beginning, the world is spoken into existence with one word: "Earth." There are no inhabitants, and no sun-only the broad sky, silent sea, and sovereign Framer and Shaper. Then come the twin heroes Hunahpu and Xbalanque. Wielding blowguns, they begin a journey to hell and back, ready to confront the folly of false deities as well as death itself, in service to the world and to humanity.
This is the story of the Mayan Popol Vuh, "the book of the woven mat," one of the only epics indigenous to the Americas. Originally sung and chanted, before being translated into prose-and now, for the first time, translated back into verse by Michael Bazzett-this is a story of the generative power of language. A story that asks not only Where did you come from? but How might you live again? A story that, for the first time in English, lives fully as "the phonetic rendering of a living pulse."
By turns poetic and lucid, sinuous and accessible, this striking new translation of The Popol Vuh-the first in the Seedbank series of world literature-breathes new life into an essential tale.
In the beginning, the world is spoken into existence with one word: "Earth." There are no inhabitants, and no sun-only the broad sky, silent sea, and sovereign Framer and Shaper. Then come the twin heroes Hunahpu and Xbalanque. Wielding blowguns, they begin a journey to hell and back, ready to confront the folly of false deities as well as death itself, in service to the world and to humanity.
This is the story of the Mayan Popol Vuh, "the book of the woven mat," one of the only epics indigenous to the Americas. Originally sung and chanted, before being translated into prose-and now, for the first time, translated back into verse by Michael Bazzett-this is a story of the generative power of language. A story that asks not only Where did you come from? but How might you live again? A story that, for the first time in English, lives fully as "the phonetic rendering of a living pulse."
By turns poetic and lucid, sinuous and accessible, this striking new translation of The Popol Vuh-the first in the Seedbank series of world literature-breathes new life into an essential tale.
Reviews / Votes
Praise for The Popol Vuh"For nonscholars, the first test of any translation is simply whether it's pleasurable to read, and Bazzett's limpid, smoothly paced version is more than satisfying on that score. And it's a good thing to be reminded, perhaps especially now, and perhaps especially by a text originating in Guatemala, that "However many nations / live in the world today, / however many countless people, / they all had but one dawn."-New York Times
"Mr. Bazzett's translation offers a welcome path into the power of The Popol Vuh as beautiful literature. . . . [his] arrangement and format give the work its own authentic-sounding rhythm and cadence, something that is lost a bit in the recent scholarly editions . . . Mr. Bazzett writes that his intent was to create a more accessible source for students, 'a version of the myth they could disappear into, a verse version that truly sang.' He has succeeded."-Wall Street Journal
"With Bazzett's translation, The Popol Vuh has been reincarnated . . . in a clear, elegant English that allows the reader to visualize the epic adventure of the Hero Twins and the universal story of human creation. It's a boon for readers everywhere." -Rain Taxi
"[Bazzett's] translation of The Popol Vuh is a superb demonstration of literary translation, and the book, as a whole-containing an authentic and transparent translator's introduction, the creation epic itself, and a reader's companion-should be incorporated into every literary translation program."-Literary Review
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Minneapolis
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 214 mm
Width: 137 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
376 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-57131-468-0 (9781571314680)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Person
Michael Bazzett is the author of The Interrogation; You Must Remember This, which received the 2014 Lindquist & Vennum Prize for Poetry; Our Lands Are Not So Different; and a chapbook, The Imaginary City. His poems have appeared in numerous publications, including Ploughshares, The Sun, Massachusetts Review, Pleiades, and Best New Poets. A longtime faculty member at The Blake School, Bazzett has received the Bechtel Prize from Teachers & Writers Collaborative and was a 2017 National Endowment for the Arts Fellow. He lives in Minneapolis.
Translation
Content
Contents
Introduction
Translator's Note
The Popol Vuh
Part One
Preamble
The Beginning
The Creation of Animals
Figures of Mud and Figures of Wood
The Flood
Part Two
Seven Macaw
The Fall of Seven Macaw
The Shooting of Seven Macaw
Zipacna and the 400 Boys
The Defeat of Zipacna
The Defeat of Cabracan
Part Three
The Story of the Father of Hunahpu and Xbalanque
The Summons to Xibalba
The Descent into Xibalba
Lady Blood and the Tree of One Hunahpu
The Ascent of Lady Blood from Xibalba
Lady Blood and the Miracle of Maize
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in the House of Xmucane
The Fall of One Batz and One Chouen
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in the Maizefield
Hunahpu and Xbalanque Discover the Gaming Things
The Summons of Hunahpu and Xbalanque to Xibalba
The Descent of Hunahpu and Xbalanque into Xibalba
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in the House of Cold
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in Jaguar House
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in the House of Fire
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in Bat House
The Head of Hunahpu Restored
The Death of Hunahpu and Xbalanque
The Resurrection of Hunahpu and Xbalanque
The Summons of Hunahpu and Xbalanque
Hunahpu and Xbalanque Dance before the Lords of Xibalba
The Defeat of the Lords of Xibalba
The Miraculous Maize of Hunahpu and Xbalanque
The Sun, Moon, and Stars
Part Four
The Creation of Humanity
The Discovery of Maize
The First Four People
The Vision of the First Men
Gratitude of the First Men
The Displeasure of the Gods
The First Four Women
The Beginnings of the People
The First Dawn
Notes
The Popol Vuh: A Reader's Companion
Introduction
Translator's Note
The Popol Vuh
Part One
Preamble
The Beginning
The Creation of Animals
Figures of Mud and Figures of Wood
The Flood
Part Two
Seven Macaw
The Fall of Seven Macaw
The Shooting of Seven Macaw
Zipacna and the 400 Boys
The Defeat of Zipacna
The Defeat of Cabracan
Part Three
The Story of the Father of Hunahpu and Xbalanque
The Summons to Xibalba
The Descent into Xibalba
Lady Blood and the Tree of One Hunahpu
The Ascent of Lady Blood from Xibalba
Lady Blood and the Miracle of Maize
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in the House of Xmucane
The Fall of One Batz and One Chouen
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in the Maizefield
Hunahpu and Xbalanque Discover the Gaming Things
The Summons of Hunahpu and Xbalanque to Xibalba
The Descent of Hunahpu and Xbalanque into Xibalba
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in the House of Cold
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in Jaguar House
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in the House of Fire
Hunahpu and Xbalanque in Bat House
The Head of Hunahpu Restored
The Death of Hunahpu and Xbalanque
The Resurrection of Hunahpu and Xbalanque
The Summons of Hunahpu and Xbalanque
Hunahpu and Xbalanque Dance before the Lords of Xibalba
The Defeat of the Lords of Xibalba
The Miraculous Maize of Hunahpu and Xbalanque
The Sun, Moon, and Stars
Part Four
The Creation of Humanity
The Discovery of Maize
The First Four People
The Vision of the First Men
Gratitude of the First Men
The Displeasure of the Gods
The First Four Women
The Beginnings of the People
The First Dawn
Notes
The Popol Vuh: A Reader's Companion