ABSTRACT
Vicente Aleixandre was a leading Modernist in the "Generation of 1927", an informal group comprising Rafael Alberti, Luis Cernuda, Federico Garcia Lorca, Jorge Guillen, Pedro Salinas, and a few others. His poetry, however, at least in English translation, has remained in the shadow of Lorca's, as well as Alberti's and perhaps even Guillen's. Faithfully and engagingly translated by Stephen Kessler, Poems of Consummation is one of the last books written by Aleixandre. As should be clear, his poetic use of the kiss is no romantic throwback to a kind of Puritan squeamishness about overt sexual allusions. Still, lips meeting lips emerges as the most conspicuous imagery in his verse and constantly plays a pivotal role. Kissing, and specifically the memory of kissing, provides the very impetus for his writing, which often attempts to comprehend what living consists of, feels like, and means.
