The School of Solitude

Peruvian poet Luis Hernandez is legendary in his native country. Haunted by addiction and spending periodic reclusion in rehabilitation centers, Hernandez was exceptionally gifted in his youth, publishing three books of poetry by the time he was twenty-four. He did not publish another book before his untimely death at thirty-six, but he was not silent?he filled notebooks with poems, musical notations, quotes, translations, musings, newspaper clippings, and drawings.

Derived from these notebooks, The School of Solitude is the first book of Hernandez’s poetry in English. The haunting voice of Hernandez evokes an irrevocably distant past, with the poems contemplating happiness and joy, love and fulfillment, yet always with a sense of sadness, solitude, and dream. Including rare images from Hernandez’s notebooks, as well as several poems never before published in any language, The School of Solitude will be read not only for its powerful poetry and imagery, but also as a means to learn more about this enigmatic Latin American poet and the mystery of his life and work.

Luis Hernandez (1941-?77) was a Peruvian poet who published three books during his short life. Anthony Geist is professor of Spanish and chair of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Washington. He is the author of numerous studies and translations of contemporary Spanish and Latin American poetry.