[06/01/26] Riquelme, Weitman, & Westhale (eds.): Rolando Cárdenas

The Unsung Masters Series, paperback

Edited by: Felipe Acevedo Riquelme, Mathew Weitman, & July Westhale

Publication Date: June 1, 2026

Publisher Marketing: 

Rolando Cárdenas: On the Life and Work of a Chilean Master introduces Anglophone readers to one of the twentieth century’s most vital yet overlooked Chilean poets. The poet’s work emerged from the solitude and stark beauty of Punta Arenas—the southernmost city in the world—and from the political upheavals leading up to and following Chile’s 1973 coup. Known for his precise, quietly lyrical depictions of Chile’s far southern landscapes and for capturing what he called la soledad magallánica, Cárdenas wrote five remarkable collections that grapple with social tension, historical rupture, and the intimate textures of daily life. Long suppressed by censorship and made nearly inaccessible through decades of scarcity, his poetry is gathered here for the first time in English, accompanied by photographs, archival materials, and reflections from friends and fellow writers. This volume offers a restored portrait of a poet whose voice—rooted in a region yet resonant far beyond it—testifies to the resilience of art under repression and expands the global understanding of Chilean literature. Co-edited by Felipe Acevedo Riquelme, Mathew Weitman, and July Westhale, this Unsung Masters edition brings Cárdenas’ lyric vision into long-overdue international view.

The Unsung Masters Series exists to bring the work of great but little-known authors to new generations of readers. It is housed at the University of Houston and Inprint, in partnership with Gulf Coast magazine, Pleiades: Literature in Context, Copper Nickel magazine, and Ploughshares.