Raúl Zurita has long been recognized as one of the most important poetic voices in the Americas today. His compelling rhythms combine epic and lyric tones, public and most intimate themes, grief and joy. This bilingual volume of selected works is the first of its kind in any language, representing the remarkable range of this extraordinary poet. Zurita's work confronts the cataclysm of the Pinochet coup with a powerful urgency matched by his extraordinary craftsmanship and imaginative vision. In his attempt to address the atrocities that indelibly mark our continents, he makes manifest the common history of the Americas through the history and literature of Chile.