Rilke Shake
Rilke Shake by Angélica Freitas is a reissue published by Phoneme Media in 2015, featuring 115 pages in English. This debut collection, originally published in Portuguese in 2007, showcases Freitas’s frenetic humor and linguistic innovation, creating a vibrant celebration of her literary influences. The title plays on the word “milkshake,” reflecting the playful and inventive nature of the poems, which include imaginative scenarios involving notable literary figures.
Readers will find a whirlwind of creativity as Freitas constructs a unique poetic landscape filled with unexpected imagery and humor. The translation by Hilary Kaplan maintains the contemporary and lyrical essence of the original work, capturing the collection’s dynamic pace. With themes rooted in poetry and influences from Caribbean and Latin American literature, Rilke Shake invites exploration of its inventive narratives and playful language.
Official synopsis Publisher
Rilke Shake‘s title, a pun on milkshake, means in Portuguese just what it does in English. With frenetic humor and linguistic innovation, Angélica Freitas constructs a temple of delight to celebrate her own literary canon. In this whirlwind debut collection, first published in Portuguese in 2007, Gertrude Stein passes gas in her bathtub, a sushi chef cries tears of Suntory Whisky, and Ezra Pound is kept “insane in a cage in pisa.” Hilary Kaplan’s translation is as contemporary and lyrical as the Portuguese-language original, a considerable feat considering the collection’s breakneck pace.
WINNER OF THE 2016 BEST TRANSLATED BOOK AWARD!
WINNER OF THE 2016 NATIONAL TRANSLATION AWARD!
FINALIST FOR THE 2016 PEN POETRY TRANSLATION PRIZE!
“No fabled saudade here, but the sound of an ocarina underwater in the Orinoco.” –Paul Hoover
“Wry, painfully funny and moving, Kaplan’s translation captures the formal invention and deadpan beauty of the original perfectly.” –Sasha Dugdale
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