We're pleased to present this special issue of Review on eco-literature and arts in Latin America, a topic with relevance not only for the cultural sphere but, more broadly, for humanity and the life of the planet. Developed by guest editor Steven F. White (Lewis Professor of Modern Languages, St. Lawrence University)—poet, translator, and literary critic as well as a passionate advocate of eco-literature and ecocriticism—Review 85 brings together scholarly and creative material that honors the topic, imaginatively, thematically, and otherwise. The writing and arts in this issue address themes relating to the environment, the inter-relationships between human and non-human, and the ongoing consequences of, and strategies for, addressing the carbon imprint on nature.
The scholarly materials explore the intersection of history, culture, and the natural world. Written by leading Latin American and US scholars dedicated to the field of eco-literature, the articles focus on Latin American literature from an ecocritical perspective; Amazonian and Mapuche writing in relation to the ecological discourse and the line between “nation and nature”; and, with an eye toward pedagogical approaches to eco-literature, analyses of texts by key authors from throughout the continent, specifically, Homero Aridjis, from Mexico, Anacristina Rossi, from Costa Rica, and Raúl Zurita, from Chile.
While the authors of the creative content hail principally from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Nicaragua, their collective approach is more pan-regional than national, at times viewed through an indigenous lens: Amazonia spans various countries and isn't confined by borders, just as environmental concerns aren't unique to one nation but affect us all. Among the texts are ardent testimonials by Aridjis and Ernesto Cardenal, two of environmentalism's most active participants (Aridjis, for example, was the driving force in the founding of the international Grupo de 100, responsible for addressing the plight of sea turtles and monarch butterflies). Other pieces include “Amazonian” poems by Juan Carlos Galeano and “ethno-botanical” texts by Esthela Calderón. Astrid Cabral levels a scathing indictment in her “Ex-river” and Miguel Grinberg reflects on his solidarity with various writers of the Beat generation, whose ethos anticipated the international environmental movements of today.
The issue is topped off by photographs inspired by the Yanomami people, by cover-artist Claudia Andujar; and by reviews of music and books by recording artists and writers associated with eco-culture, as well as new titles in translation.
Many thanks to Steven White for his vision, commitment, and poetic sensibility in the development of this timely issue, and to all the scholars, writers, artists, translators, and reviewers published here, many of whom participated in the Americas Society symposium on eco-literature in Latin America (November 14–16, 2012), part of Carnegie Hall's “Voices From Latin America” festival. Special thanks as well to our copy editor Jason Weiss; to visual arts and music editors Gabriela Rangel and Sebastián Zubieta; and to my staff—my assistant José Negroni, editorial assistant Laysha Duran, and Literature Department intern Frances Taormina.
Finally, my gratitude to Alfred Mac Adam, Review's former editor, for his moving note on the passing of Carlos Fuentes—emblem of the Latin American Boom, a world writer and cultural icon par excellence as well as a friend and inspiration to many in the international literary sphere. Review is proud to have published work by and about him over the years. His legacy lives on.