We Do Not Live in Vain, Casal Selva

Poetry. Latinx Studies. Translated by Jeannine Pitas, WE DO NOT LIVE IN VAIN is the sixth book of Uruguayan poet Selva Casal. Drawing upon her academic training in sociology and her experiences as a penal lawyer, Casal lays bare the stark realities of the human condition: our capacity for violence and cruelty as well as our profound ability to love and care for one another. With keen observation, deep pathos, and imaginative playfulness, these poems of witness are ultimately an affirmation of human life and dignity even in the face of humanitys worst tendencies. Originally published as No vivimos en vano in 1975 during Uruguays military dictatorship, this book solidified Casals reputation as a political dissident and led to her losing her job as a sociology professor at the Universidad de la Rep blica, Uruguays most well-known university.