From award-winning author, editor, and translator Ilan Stavans, comes a one-of-kind retelling of a legendary Aztec ruler's timeless verses.
A king, a warrior, and a poet, Nezahualcóyotl was a revolutionary far ahead of his time. Born in 1402, the ruler-whose name means 'hungry coyote' in the Uto-Aztecan language of Nahuatl-led the city-state of Texcoco through its age of enlightenment. His four-decade reign was among the most transformative and prosperous eras of the Aztec Empire. Today he is a hero in Mexico, seen as a mysterious, powerful, anti-colonial figure.
Brimming with anguish and longing, this epic collection of songs and poems was composed by Nezahualcóyotl with members of his illustrious court. After six centuries, in a powerful retelling by Ilan Stavans with new illustrations by Cuauhtémoc Wetzka, the seventeen poems bring to life a young warrior and his journey from exile to historical legend. Sorrowful and unforgettable, Lamentations of Nezahualcóyotl will thrill readers of Latin American literature for years to come.