Worlds of Langston Hughes

Vera M. Kutzinski is The Martha Rivers Ingram Professor of English and Comparative Literature, and Director of the Alexander von Humboldt in English (HiE) Project at Vanderbilt University. She is the author of Against the American Grain: Myth and History in William Carlos Williams, Jay Wright and Nicolás Guillén and Sugar's Secrets: Race and the Erotics of Cuban Nationalism.

• AcknowledgmentsChronology of Travels, Translations, and Other Key PublicationsAbbreviationsIntroduction. In Others' Words: Translation and SurvivalChapter 1, Nomad Heart: Heterolingual AutobiographyChapter 2. Southern Exposures: Hughes in SpanishChapter 3. Buenos Aires Blues: Modernism in the Creole CityChapter 4. Havana Vernaculars: The Cuba Libre ProjectChapter 5. Back in the USSA: Joe McCarthy's MistranslationsAfterword. America/América/AmericasAppendix: Spanish-language Translations of Hughes's WorksNotesBibliographyIndex

Although Hughes is highly regarded in US literature, he may be even more of an iconic figure in Hispanic culture. Kutzinski illustrates how his works, as translated into Spanish, made an indelible mark on Hispanic literature. And as more of his works have been translated in other world languages, Hughes's themes have become globally impactful and universal. Kutzinski also argues that translations of the works of other iconic US writers—especially those of non-US descent—can impact a nation's culture. Kutzinski's research suggests that the possibilities are endless.(Choice)