Silence from the Forest (Silencios Del Bosque)

Silence from the Forest is an exquisite bilingual (Spanish/English) poetry edition written by Esther Bendala Pavon and translated by Corinne J. Stanley. Esther's work is reminiscent of a young Pablo Neruda's contemplations on life, love, and death, transcended through nature. She takes the reader through a passionate journey of love immersed in the landscape of el Bosque, the White Pueblo village of her grandmother, as well as the effusiveness of the sea which informs Spain. In the gifted hands of translator Corinne Stanley, Esther's work keeps the reader spellbound. This truly is a superb bilingual collection of verse.

Silence from the Forest is Spanish poet Esther Bendala's rendition of a passionate love story, penned as she goes through the throes of brain cancer.  A locally recognized poet at the age of 18, Esther puts into poignant and sometimes fierce verse her struggle to not forget the love of her life. She wrestles with time and her illness, all the while seizing upon metaphors and images that wrap around the reader's heart in deceptively simple lines.  A tribute to the Spanish landscape, Silence from the Forest is a voyage through nature, both human and that of the earth.  Weep with Esther as you read her radiant and heart-moving cries to remember what is important about our deepest sense of humanity.

Esther Bendala Pavon was born in Sevilla, Spain, and studied literature at the Instituto Gustavo Adolfo Becquer. At the age of eighteen she was asked to host a literature program, Solo para Colecionistas, for Spanish National Radio. She has published in various literary journals.