PedroSerrano FourPoemsfrom‘Still Life’ TranslatedbyAnnaCrowe

BornMontreal, 1957, PedroSerranoistheauthorof the poetry collections El miedo, Ignorancia, Tres poemas andthe recentlypublishedTurbaandMuchas nueces. Hislatestmajorcollection is Desplazamientos (Editorial Candaya, Barcelona, 2006). In collaboration with Carlos Lóópez Beltráán he edited and translated La generacióón del cordero, a bilingual anthology of contemporary Britishpoetry. He wrote the libretto for the opera Les Marimbas de l’ÉÉxil (music byLuc LeMasne), which was first performedinBesanççoninJanuary 2000andthen went on tour in Paris and Mexico. His translation of Shakespeare’s King John was published in 2001. He is a memberof theMexicanSistemaNacional deCreadores. PedroSerranotoldmethat thepoems inNaturalezasMuertas (Voces)–whichmightbetranslatedasStillLife(Voices)–areto be readas a series of portraits of friends, rather like Elgar’s EnigmaVariations. Headdedthatmosthadquicklyrecognised hisorherportrait. Ihavetranslatedmalevoicesinplaintext, andfemalevoicesinitalics, sincethemaleorfemaleidentityis made obvious inthe Spanishby the masculine or feminine endingsof nounsandadjectives.