With a Star in My Hand: Ruben Dario, Poetry Hero

Description

"Exceptional." -Booklist (starred review) "Heartfelt...Thoughtful and effective." -The Horn Book "Engle's lyrical poetry emotionally conveys the reality of being a greatly gifted, passionate, and deeply ambitious young man in a turbulent time." -BCCB From acclaimed author Margarita Engle comes a gorgeous novel in verse about Ruben Dario, the Nicaraguan poet and folk hero who initiated the literary movement of Modernismo. As a little boy, Ruben Dario loved to listen to his great uncle, a man who told tall tales in a booming, larger-than-life voice. Ruben quickly learned the magic of storytelling, and discovered the rapture and beauty of verse. A restless and romantic soul, Ruben traveled across Central and South America seeking adventure and connection. As he discovered new places and new loves, he wrote poems to express his wild storm of feelings. But the traditional forms felt too restrictive. He began to improvise his own poetic forms so he could capture the entire world in his words. At the age of twenty-one, he published his first book Azul, which heralded a vibrant new literary movement called Modernismo that blended poetry and prose into something magical. In gorgeous poems of her own, Margarita Engle tells the story of this passionate young man who revolutionized world literature.

Margarita Engle is the Cuban American author of many books including the verse novels Rima's Rebellion; Your Heart, My Sky; With a Star in My Hand; The Surrender Tree, a Newbery Honor winner; and The Lightning Dreamer. Her verse memoirs include Soaring Earth and Enchanted Air, which received the Pura Belpre Award, a Walter Dean Myers Award Honor, and was a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, among others. Her picture books include Drum Dream Girl, Dancing Hands, and The Flying Girl. Visit her at MargaritaEngle.com.

* "Engle explores Dario's relationship with words and the effects of abandonment, trauma, grief, and loss on his work. The cyclical nature of events described, as well as the seasons' change and the rollercoaster of emotions-all based firmly in research-reflect how the poet's past affected his identity and career. Engle also pays close attention to Dario's mestizo identity and the importance of utilizing Spanish language, and there is a wonderful section on linework and rhyming patterns and structures, an educational element for young poets trying their hands at redondillas, octavillas, espinelas, and seguidillas. . . . Exceptional. -- Booklist, starred review "Heartfelt . . . The brevity of the poems allows readers to make rapid progress through the novel, and the placement of line breaks is thoughtful and effective: 'With paper as my sky, words / are the wind that should help my mind fly.'" -- The Horn Book "Engle distills a fascinating life and creates a portrait of a country where poetry, valued by many, could be a young person's ticket out of hardship. . . . In introducing readers to Dario, Engle creates a jumping-off point for poetic exploration." -- Publishers Weekly "Compelling. . . . This accessible volume serves as an excellent introduction to Dario and will likely encourage readers to search out his poetry to appreciate his genius." -- Shelf Awareness