American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 18 (1997) Winner
Martín Espada
マルティン・エスパダ
Marutin Esupada
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1957-08-07 （Brooklyn, New York, U.S.）
- Nationality
- Puerto Rican-American
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Residence History
- Brooklyn (birth) → Long Island (raised) → Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts (residence)
Career
- Occupations
- poet, professor, translator, attorney (former)
- Active Years
- 1982-
- Affiliations
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (professor)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin–Madison | — | History | B.A. | — | United States |
| Northeastern University | — | Law | J.D. | — | United States |
University of Wisconsin–Madison
History
Degree:
B.A.
Country:
United States
B.A. in History
Northeastern University
Law
Degree:
J.D.
Country:
United States
Juris Doctor (J.D.)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | National Book Award for Poetry | Floaters | — | National Book Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2018 | Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize | — | — | Poetry Foundation | 受賞（生涯業績） |
| 1997 | American Book Award | — | — | Before Columbus Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2006 | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞（フェローシップ） |
| 1991 | Paterson Poetry Prize | — | — | Paterson Poetry Prize | 受賞 |
| 1989 | PEN/Revson Fellowship in Poetry | — | — | PEN/Revson Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2007 | Pulitzer Prize | — | — | Pulitzer Prize Board | 最終候補（ファイナリスト） |
National Book Award for Poetry
2021
Work:
Floaters
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
受賞
Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
2018
Organization:
Poetry Foundation
Result:
受賞（生涯業績）
American Book Award
1997
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
受賞
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship
2006
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞（フェローシップ）
Paterson Poetry Prize
1991
Organization:
Paterson Poetry Prize
Result:
受賞
PEN/Revson Fellowship in Poetry
1989
Organization:
PEN/Revson Foundation
Result:
受賞
Pulitzer Prize
2007
Organization:
Pulitzer Prize Board
Result:
最終候補（ファイナリスト）
Awards & Nominations
Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 33 (2018) Winner
Works
Major Works
Imagine the Angels of Bread
1996 Poetry collectionA collection addressing immigration, labor, family, and politics; considered one of Espada's notable works.
immigrationsocial justicefamily
Floaters
2021 Poetry collectionContains poems inspired by a photo of migrants who drowned at the border; won the National Book Award.
migrant crisishuman rightstragedy and memory
The Immigrant Iceboy's Bolero
1982 Poetry collection (political poetry)A politically charged first book of poems featuring photography by his father, Frank Espada.
politicsidentityworkers' perspective
Bibliography
- The Immigrant Iceboy's Bolero (1982)
- Trumpets from the Islands of Their Eviction (1987)
- Imagine the Angels of Bread (1996)
- A Mayan Astronomer in Hell's Kitchen (2000)
- Alabanza: New and Selected Poems 1982-2002 (2003)
- The Trouble Ball (2011)
- Vivas to Those Who Have Failed (2016)
- Floaters (2021)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- political and activist poetrycolloquial, narrative voicestrong visual imagery
- Recurring Motifs
- Puerto Ricoimmigration and borderslabor and povertyfamily and memory
Legacy
Martín Espada is celebrated for articulating Puerto Rican American experience and centering social justice and immigration in his poetry. He received the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize in 2018 and the National Book Award for Poetry in 2021, and is considered an important voice in contemporary American poetry.
Academic Societies
- Academy of American Poets (fellowship recipient)
Archives
- Amherst College Archives and Special Collections (Martín Espada Papers)
In Popular Culture
- Appearance in the documentary film 'The People Speak'
Quotes
-
Going to Puerto Rico was absolutely transformative, a process of self-discovery — going there affirms you have a history.
Source: Fresh Air interview (1993) (1993)
Trivia
- His father was photojournalist and activist Frank Espada.
- His first book of poems, 'The Immigrant Iceboy's Bolero', was published in 1982.