Literary Tributes
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January 18, 2019 |
Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash In an American age characterized by fragmentation and political division, it takes the passage of a literary icon like Mary Oliver to remind us how we have been bound tog... -
May 16, 2018 |
In the days before his death, Sergio Pitol had been much on my mind: the sordid stories of neglect splashed across Mexico’s leading newspapers; court battles for his guardianship; accusations of thef... -
May 1, 2017 |
Mexican novelist and short-story writer Jorge López Páez died on Friday, April 28, at the age of ninety-four. Ernesto Reséndiz Oikión offers a tribute.Jorge López Páez. Photo: CNL-INBA Archiv... -
August 31, 2016 |
Ignacio Padilla (date unknown) / Source: Ibero 90.9 Translator’s note: Mexican writer Ignacio Padilla (1968–2016) was killed in a car accident on August 20 while traveling through... -
June 27, 2016 |
Jorge Luis Borges Because June 14 marked the thirtieth anniversary of the death of Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986), I received a couple of calls, asking if I would be interested in answering some quest... -
September 23, 2015 |
Roberto Fernández Retamar in 2015,illustration by Michael Hoeweler. This started out as a book review of Roberto Fernández Retamar’s Poesía nueva reunida (Letras Cubanas and Ediciones Unión,... -
August 4, 2015 |
Alan Cheuse by Josh Cheuse | Courtesy of NPR The editors of WLT were deeply saddened to hear the news of Alan Cheuse’s passing last week at the age of seventy-five. Dr. Cheuse s... -
April 14, 2015 |
Photo: H. Grunert / www.nobelprize.org. The Winter 2000 issue of WLT featured “To Be Continued . . .”, the English translation of... -
April 14, 2015 |
Photo: H. Grunert / www.nobelprize.org When it was announced on Monday that Nobel laureate Günter Grass had passed away in Lübeck, Germany, at the age of eighty-seven, we asked... -
April 6, 2015 |
As the United States Postal Service hosts a stamp dedication event tomorrow in Washington, DC, for the release of their Maya Angelou Forever stamp, we’re delighted to share images of the new stamp as... -
April 2, 2015 |
The executive director, editors, and staff at World Literature Today at the University of Oklahoma are saddened to hear of Astrid Ivask’s death. In her time at the University of Oklahoma in... -
March 30, 2015 |
Tomas Tranströmer delivering his acceptance speech for the Neustadt Prize in June 1990. When news broke late last week that Nobel Prize laureate Tomas Tranströmer had died in St... -
February 9, 2015 |
Assia Djebar. Photo by Irmeli Jung. The editors and staff of World Literature Today were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Algerian-born novelist, translator, and filmmaker Assia... -
December 22, 2014 |
in memoriam Kenny Kahn From the archive of Eugenia Huerta Bravo. A trio of important Mexican writers was born in 1914: Octavio Paz, José Revueltas, and Efraín Huerta. In the English-languag... -
September 5, 2014 |
Oklahoma writer Dorothy Alexander remembers fellow poet Jim Spurr, a true “everyman poet.” Jim Spurr left this earthy existence on Sunday, August 31, 2014, after having one of the best days o... -
July 14, 2014 |
Photo by Bengt Oberger In honor of Nadine Gordimer, who passed away yesterday at the age of ninety, we reprint here her testimonial from our Winter 1996 issue, devoted to “South... -
May 28, 2014 |
Photos by Gil Jain / Western History Collections / The University of Oklahoma The editors and staff of World Literature Today join in mourning the passing while celebrat... -
April 18, 2014 |
When news broke yesterday about the death of Gabriel García Márquez, the entire staff of World Literature Today paused to reflect on the legacy of a writer who not only redrew t... -
September 25, 2013 |
Walter Neustadt Jr. (left) and Álvaro Mutis at the Neustadt banquet, University of Oklahoma, October 18, 2002 The editors and staff of World Literature Today were greatly sadden... -
September 3, 2013 |
Photo Burns Library, Boston College/Flickr In tribute to Seamus Heaney (1939–2013), who passed away Friday in Dublin, Ireland, World Literature Today opened its archives to pay its respects... -
March 23, 2013 |
Photo by Angela Radulescu/Flickr In tribute to Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe, who passed away this Thursday at the age of 82, we’ve opened the vault to share these compelling and inspiring words... -
May 16, 2012 |Carlos Fuentes, who died Tuesday at the age of 83, was one of Mexico's most discussed and prolific writers. He visited World Literature Today and the University of Oklahoma as the honore...
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The Beginning
Mother gave birth during an earthquake.
She screamed, Mera bucha – my child....
