Books

A couple of months ago I sat in the British Library enjoying a very simple pleasure – reading. The book in question: a Fondo de Cultura Económica collection of José Emilio Pacheco’s poetry, Tarde o Temprano. The book has all four poetry collections published by Pacheco in the 1960s – 1980s, plus some ‘free-flying’ poems which didn’t get included into other volumes.

Pacheco is fun. He’s got style but doesn’t believe his press releases. He’s got a good sense of humour but doesn’t overuse it. He’s learned from the best but doesn’t overstate it.