Manuel Ulacia (1953–2001) was born into a family of Spanish poets of the famous “Generation of ‘27” who fled to Mexico from the Spanish Civil War. Manuel studied Hispanic literature at Yale, specializing in Luis Cernuda, then returned to Mexico where he became a protégé of Octavio Paz and later president of PEN’s Mexico chapter. His books include two stunning long poems, Origami para un día de lluvia (Origami for a Rainy Day) (1990) and El plato azul (1999). 

Manuel’s long-time friend and confidant, Indran Amirthanayagam, has now edited and translated the first large-scale selection of Manuel’s work in English, releasing in January, 2023, from Diálogos, available now for preorder. Origami: Selected Poems of Manuel Ulacia includes an extensive collection of Ulacia’s work (including the two long poems mentioned above), all selected and translated by Amirthanayagam except the remarkable long poem “River,” translated by famed translator Suzanne Jill Levine.