A new collection by El Salvador's premier poet, exploring love and loss. Now in her 70s, Claribel Alegria is universally recogonized as the major living poet of El Salvador. Casting Off extends the themes Alegria explored in Sorrow: the loss of a loved one, solitude, and reflections on the past. As the title implies, this collection is also a lyric farewell: "My footsteps are leading/toward quiet solitude/toward the starsilence/that has no more questions." She is becoming increasingly well-known in the U.S. as a result of her many tours, readings, and residencies. She will return to the U.S. in the spring to promote Casting Off. The English versions in this bilingual edition are by renowned translator Margaret Sayers Peden, who beautifully preseves the lyric quality of this major poet at the height of her career. The Ache of Absence Oh how my fingertips ache When I hold out my hand And don't find you.