ApocryphAl lorcA A p o c r y p h A l l o r c A TranslaTion, Parody, KiTsch J o n A t h A n M A y h e w the University of chicAgo press Chicago and London JonAthAn MAyhew is professor of Spanish at the University of Kansas. He is the author of three books, most recently of The Twilight of the Avant-Garde: Spanish Poetry, 1980–2000 (2009). The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637 The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London © 2009 by The University of Chicago All rights reserved. Published 2009 Printed in the United States of America 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 1 2 3 4 5 ISBN-13: 978-0-226-51203-7 (cloth) ISBN-10: 0-226-51203-7 (cloth) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mayhew, Jonathan, 1960– Apocryphal Lorca : translation, parody, kitsch / Jonathan Mayhew. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-226-51203-7 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-226-51203-7 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. American poetry—20th century—History and criticism. 2. García Lorca, Federico, 1898–1936—Influence. 3. García Lorca, Federico, 1898–1936—Translations into English. 4. García Lorca, Federico, 1898–1936—Parodies, imitations, etc. 5. García Lorca, Federico, 1898–1936—Adaptations. 6. García Lorca, Federico, 1898–1936—Appreciation— United States. 7. American poetry—Spanish influences. I. Title. PS159.S7M39 2009 868'.6209—dc22 2008036494 a The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Infor- mation Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992. for Akiko and Julia When the translation and the original meet The doubtful original and the strong mistranslation The original feels like a triple pun And the translation cries, Without me you are lost. DAvID ShAPIro, “After A LoSt orIgINAL” contents Preface xi Acknowledgments xvii 1 Federico García Lorca (Himself ) 1 2 The American Agenda 22 3 Poet-Translators: Langston Hughes to Paul Blackburn 53 4 The Deep Image 78 5 Apocryphal Lorca: Robert Creeley and Jack Spicer 102 6 Frank O’Hara’s “Lorcaescas” 122 7 Kenneth Koch: Parody and Pedagogy 143 8 Jerome Rothenberg: The Lorca Variations 160 Conclusion: An American Lorca? 175 Notes 183 Bibliography 205 Index 215