Gypsy Romances & Poem of the Deep Song

Gypsy Romances & Poem of the Deep Song offers English‑language readers two of Lorca’s most essential poetic books in a single volume: the iconic Romancero gitano (Gypsy Romances) and the flamenco‑centered Poema del cante jondo (Poem of the Deep Song). In this new translation and introduction, Dan Veach renders Lorca’s music, surreal imagery, and Andalusian duende in contemporary, readable English while preserving the compression and intensity of the originals.

In the Gypsy Romances, Lorca revitalizes the traditional Spanish ballad form (romance) with startling modern images and enigmatic narratives. Gypsies, moons, knives, and the ever‑present Civil Guard inhabit a dreamlike rural Spain where myth, violence, and desire collide. The Poem of the Deep Song turns directly to Cante Jondo, the oldest and most intense forms of flamenco. Through poems built around the soleá, siguiriya, petenera, and saeta, Lorca explores the fusion of Gypsy, Moorish, and popular Catholic traditions that shape Andalusian song.

Veach’s introduction situates these works within Lorca’s life—from his friendships with Dalí and Buñuel to his New York sojourn and his tragic murder at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War—and explains the poetic and musical structures behind the verse. For courses in modern Spanish poetry, flamenco and music studies, translation, and Hispanic culture, this volume provides both a powerful reading experience and a rich tool for classroom discussion.