International Translation Day: 'Master of Distances', by Jordi Doce

The Instituto Cervantes in Manchester launches the English translation of Jordi Doce's collection of poems Master of Distances, published by Shearsman Books, in a meeting between the author and his translator Terence Dooley, in which they will read a selection of poems and discuss the challenges posed by the book and its translation.

Master of Distances consists of a hundred or so prose fragments fluctuating between dream, nightmare and a harsh reality: the bleakness of ageing, and accompanying a loved one through a long and debilitating illness. The continuity of mood and imagery gradually melds the fragments into a single poem. The poet stumbles confusedly as through a labyrinth of feeling and sensation. Who or what is the mysterious master of distances of the title? Time? Language? Oneself? The answer is a radical experiment in poetry and a new departure for this fine lyric poet.