In Memory of Miguel Gonzalez-Gerth

We were very sad to learn of the passing last week of esteemed poet, translator, educator, and dear friend of Malvern Books, Miguel Gonzalez-Gerth. Born in Mexico City in 1926, Miguel was the son of an army officer of Spanish descent and a musician mother of German descent. In 1940 he left Mexico for Texas, making the United States his permanent home. He was Professor Emeritus of Spanish and Comparative Literature at UT Austin, where he taught for more than thirty years. And he published numerous collections of original poems in Spanish and English, including some of our very favorite books, Looking for the Horse Latitudes and Between Day and Night: New and Selected Poems, 1946-2010, as well as Natural Selection, his superb translation of the collected works of Uruguayan poet Enrique Fierro.

We celebrated his 90th birthday at Malvern Books last September, with music, cake, poetry, friends and readings, and Miguel, as always, delighted us with his warmth and insight. He is a great loss to our literary community, and we’ll miss him very much.