‘The Infinite Loop / El lazo infinito’ Review: Dialogues on Hope

Cuban poet Oneyda González is the most recent winner of the Paz Prize for Poetry, a biennially awarded prize presented by the National Poetry Series and Miami Book Fair at Miami Dade College. The prize honors a “previously unpublished book of poetry written originally in Spanish by an American resident.” Her prize-winning poetry collection, “The Infinite Loop / El lazo infinito,” will be released on Dec. 5.

“The Infinite Loop / El lazo infinito” is a bilingual collection, translated into English by Eduardo Aparicio. It explores themes of love, pain, and ultimately hope through its beautiful use of language and imagery. Oneyda González has crafted a collection that not only explores the profound depths of these themes but also showcases an interplay of language, structure, and visual elements. As a result, it will resonate with the reader long after the final lines are read.

The collection is broken down into three sections — titled “The Loop,” “Facing the Mirror,” and “The Other and I” — each containing between nine and 14 poems. Each section begins with an epigraph from literary giants T. S. Eliot, Stéphane Mellarmé, and Hermann Hesse, respectively, introducing the tone of the poems that follow. Skillfully woven into each section, the evocative epigraphs set the thematic tone, adding a layer of depth and intertextuality to the collection.

The poems in the first section, “The Loop,” explore various types of pain — including loneliness, silence, madness — and the ways in which they repeat and inform each other. The poems’ structure emphasizes this feeling, with many of the lines broken apart in an enjambment so extreme the words themselves seem lonely. In “Le petit déjeuner,” Gonzáles writes, “Ante la taza de té que centellea, / he puesto / la taza de limón / sin las semillas, / mas la taza de té sigue en silencio.” (“In front of the shimmering teacup, / I have put / the lemon wedge / without its seeds, / but the teacup is still silent.”) This section is loud in its simplicity, a captivating exploration of the human condition.

The second section, “Facing the Mirror,” is reflective. In it, the speaker seems to discover and understand themself. The lines bounce off of each other on the page, the poem in constant dialogue with itself. In “Tópico no. 4. La quietud. Su bien y su mal,” González writes: “Yo vivo y soy / de donde la luz es tanta / que sus tonos desbordan / cualquier expectativa.” (“I live and I am / from where the light is so bright / that its hues exceed / any expectation.”) This section is a compelling and evocative testament to the power of self-awareness.

The poems in the final section, “The Other and I,” speak of hope. Having conquered darkness and pain, the speaker comes out the other side triumphant. González writes of butterflies, joy, and worlds anew. The final poem has an especially unique and effective shape, with the words forming two loops which come together in the shape of an infinity sign. The very last line of the poem — and of the collection — sits alone on the last line at the bottom of the page in all caps: “BOCA,” or “MOUTH.” With this decisive full stop, this section concludes boldly, leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

The collection was originally written entirely in Spanish, but this version will be published with English translations by Eduardo Aparicio. Every even page is in Spanish, and the odd pages are translations of the page preceding it. This way, there is no separation between the languages, and every reader must experience both languages while enjoying the collection. Although the English versions of the poems are beautiful, there are some elements which are lost in translation. For example, in the poem “Soy prudente,” or “I am Cautious,” González writes: “somos los dueños / más dueños,” which translates to “we are the absolute / owners.” While the original version includes wordplay with the dual meaning of the Spanish word “dueño,” this is lost in the English translation.

However, most of these lost elements are due to the nature of the languages and have nothing to do with the skill of the translator. The structural disparities between the two languages, such as variations in syntax, dual meanings, and idiomatic expressions, contribute to the inherent difficulties in achieving a perfect translation.

In “The Infinite Loop / El lazo infinito,” Oneyda González asks readers to listen and to think. This translated collection gracefully intertwines Spanish and English, creating an infinite loop of dialogues between languages, pages, people, and words. Prepare to be captivated when this book is published on Dec. 5, as it promises not just a collection of poems but a profound journey toward the hope that defines our shared humanity.

—Staff writer Najya S. Gause can be reached at najya.gause@thecrimson.com.