Next to the translation of foreign works, no task is more thankless than that of the anthologist, whose choices must of necessity reflect his own critical judgment of the selections to be included. Homero Castillo has taken on the bittersweet assignment with admirable success, and he has compiled a highly readable volume of modernista poets. Perhaps the most favorable comment one can make on this book is that its selections are accurately representative of the thirteen authors chosen (Martí, Díaz Mirón, Gutiérrez Nájera, Casal, Silva, Darío, Jaimes Freyre, Nervo, González Martínez, Valencia, Lugones, Herrera y Reissig, and Chocano). Only Nervo seems to be over-represented and in indirect proportion Martí is somewhat underrepresented, given the creative worth and comparative contribution of each.
Professor Castillo’s synoptic resumés of the poets are keenly done. The bibliographies of obras principales and the critical source materials which precede the selections afford the reader a concrete basis for meaningful further study. In short, this is a fine anthology finely made, and as such it is a credit both to Professor Castillo and to Blaisdell’s printers.