Spanish Points. Antologia Poetica Edicion Bilingue, by John Liddy
This book was first presented at the Feria del Libro de Madrid- the Madrid Book Fair - in June 2026
The Madid event placed this book in front of a very large Spanish reading public at one of the country’s leading book events.
The book is published by Huerga y Fierro, a long-established independent publisher in Madrid.
The significance of the publisher Huerga y Fierro is that it has sustained an independent editorial voice for half a century.
The publication of the book by Huerga y Fierro places the book within a serious Spanish literary list
The translations in the book are magnificent.
The American poet Kenneth Koch said that "the literature of Britain and America may seem to include everything until we read European, Latin American, Eastern and other fiction and poetry in translation."
What Koch means is that English-language literature can feel wonderfully broad and complete, when it is all we read.
Translated writing unsettles that impression: it brings in different histories, different ways of seeing, different literary styles and different sounds.
The John Liddy book The Angling Cot, which is translated here was first published in 1991.
And even in a slightly reverse way, it confirms Kenneth Koch's point about literature in translation.
Here are the opening lines of the poem:
Noon tide in the orange lights
Drifting out to sea
which in Spanish translation becomes
Marea Alta de luces naranjas
a la deriva hacia el mar.
The angling cot is a distinctive, traditional wooden fishing boat associated with the Shannon river around Limerick. And only around Limerick. It is very local.
Yet here is John Liddy writing lines that could be straight out of Garcia Lorca to describe a local experience.
Noon tide in the orange lights
Drifting out to sea
Somebody said that when God prays, he prays in Spanish.
All those Spanish audible vowels and the consonants that give them shape, are just wonderful to hear.
And again, from the Angling Cot the phrase:
Una palabra desvelaba...from one word was gathered a kind of Spanish.
Sometimes when I am on a street in Madrid or Malaga, and I hear people talking on the street, I think they must be having the most profound and poetic conversations.
Spanish can sound solemn and expansive, as if it was made for addressing the heavens.
Ordinary conversation becomes a kind of music.
I said that to a Spanish friend one time and he said “no, they are mostly talking about Coronation Street or some other soap op
John Liddy is the founder of The Stony Thursday book: one of Ireland’s longest-running literary journals which this year is also celebrating its 50th anniversary.
John is the author of 13 standalone poetry collections, with True to Form the title of his most recent. As that title suggests, John Liddy takes poetic form seriously, with the book including a haiku, a ghazal, a villanelle, a sestina, and a sonnet.
I am a great believer in formalist poetry, and I think we need more of it. Look at the poem published every Saturday in the Irish Times and you will rarely encounter the craftmanship of a formalist poet. John Liddy is a fine craftsman who works with traditional forms.
It has been correctly said that the Stony Thursday Book 50 is a testament to John's enduring poetic vision and his dedication to the poetic form.
This is a beautifully produced book, and I want to briefly mention its designer.
The designer was Ángel Luis Vigaray. Vigaray was very closely associated with Huerga y Fierro, the publishers. But he was more than a book designer: he was a Spanish poet and editor. He helped shape the Huerga y Fierro poetry publishing projects.
He designed and directed very many of their books which were praised for their careful and handsome production.
He helped give the publisher’s books their distinctive editorial identity.
He did not design individual books. Rather, he was involved in the overall series design of the poetry publications: giving the whole collection a distinctive, consistent look. The poetry series is noted for its restrained white and off-white covers and laid paper.
He ensured that books felt carefully made while keeping attention on the writing.
The design used here in John’s book is described as taking its cue from Gallimard, the great French publishing house, using that distinctive pointed shield at the centre.
The overall spare look came to suggest a seriousness and confidence in the text itself...representing a carefully maintained visual tradition - understated and tactile for poetry.
The designer Vigaray’s contribution was about shaping Huerga y Fierro’s visual identity and it continues to this day, as evidenced by this book.
This book is a remarkable achievement: 233 pages of poetry, beautifully printed on quality paper and presented with the care and imagination of a fine publisher.
(This is the text used by Pat McMahon at the presentation of the book at Quay Books in Limerick on October 21st 2026.)