Lemminkäinen is a hero who features prominently in the traditional mythology of Finland. The tales of this hero are recorded in the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. The story of Lemminkäinen exists in several versions. There is, however, a general plot that can be identified in each of the myth’s different versions. The story begins with the hero’s journey to an otherworldly place, during which he has to overcome a number of obstacles.
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Poet Martín Espada’s latest work: Unsparing eyes on struggle, courage
Martín Espada’s new poetry collection, “Floaters,” looks at the struggles of immigrants, personal and family history, and the importance of preserving stories. Image courtesy Martín Espada
Martín Espada’s new poetry collection, “Floaters,” looks at the struggles of immigrants, personal and family history, and the importance of preserving stories. Image courtesy Martín Espada
By STEVE PFARRER
The title poem of Martín Espada’s new collection, “Floaters,” (W.W Norton & Co.) takes its name, as the poet explains, from the term that some U.S. Border Patrol agents use to describe migrants who drown trying to cross the Rio Grande from Mexico to the U.S.
Published: 2/19/2021 8:43:24 AM
The title poem of Martín Espada’s new collection, “Floaters,” (W.W Norton & Co.) takes its name, as the poet explains, from the term that some U.S. Border Patrol agents use to describe migrants who drown trying to cross the Rio Grande from Mexico to the U.S.
It’s a blunt opening statement from a writer who’s determined to tackle the anti-immigrant vitriol in the country head-on but who’s equally determined to find stories of courage, resiliency and love.
With prose poems and the occasional free-verse poem, “Floaters” begins with a particular focus on the years of the Trump administration and its hard-line policies against immigration, from a profile of an internment camp in Texas where migrant children kick soccer balls, to the story of a vicious attack two Boston brothers, Scott and Steven Leader, launched in 2015 against a homeless Mexican man they came across on their way home from a Red Sox game at Fenway Park.