3 Review(s)

The story of the Marranos (the Jewish converts toChristianity in Spain and Portugal) has long been a source of fascination forJews interested in their heritage and for all those concerned with the strugglefor freedom of conscience against authoritarianism. In this volume arepresented the selected works of three Marrano poets, together with translationsinto English and explanatory notes. Each of the three poets is introduced witha biography and brief critical assessment. In a general introduction the editorexplains the historical and literary background of their works and examines theinter-relationship between the Jewish and Christian cultural elements. Drawing on a wide range of published andmanuscript sources, he gives a balanced picture of the Marranos and describesthe process of Jewish re-education they had to undergo in order to reach theirgoal of integration with authentic Judaism in the Jewish communities outsidethe Iberian peninsula. The three poets-Joao Pinto Delgado, AntonioEnriquez Gomez, and Miguel de Barrios-are presented against this background asexemplifying three different 'paths to Judaism', which nonetheless have incommon the dramatic experience of life under the Inquisition and the halfwayhouse of the Marrano communities. Symbols of exile and insecurity abound. Eachpoet shares a sense of guilt over his past observance of Christianity andendeavours to reach out towards the authentic sources of the Jewish tradition,such as the Talmud and the rabbinic commentaries, to invest his writings with agreater cultural depth. The poems in this volume have been selected withthe aim of giving a representative view of each individual poet's experienceand particular literary talents. Through the translations and notes the generalreader is provided with insight into their significance and purpose. Thespecialist reader, too, will gain from finding the writings of threelittle-known poets of similar background brought together for the first timeand set in context.