This annotated bilingual edition of Antonio Machado's letters to Pilar de Valderrama, which includes an informative introduction, offers a unique insight into the poet's personal and artistic
life. The letters - intimate, vibrant, and as ungarded as journal entries - range over a wide variety of topics and sparkle with Machado's personality. They reveal his profound love for the
woman he worshipped as a goddes and to whom he confided his innermost thoughts. The letters permit a glimpse into Machado's creative process, aethetic principles, and political views. During
the nearly ten-year span of their correspondence, Machado shared with Valderrama his opinions about literary gatherings, contemporary authors, and the unrest of pre-Civil War days. While
lamenting that his work as a high school French teacher limited the time he could devote to his creative endeavors, he consistently consulted Valderrama about them, even transcribing lengthy
excerpts from his plays in progress. This book will appeal not only to the many readers who enjoy Machado's poetry but to everyone who is interested in Spain's early twentieth-century cultural
and literary history.
