Sweet Hunter: The Complete Poems of St. Teresa of Ávila (Bilingual Edition) - Paperback

by St Teresa (Author), Dana Delibovi (Translator)

This bilingual edition of St. Teresa of Avila's poems with commentary engages readers with all facets of the Saint's life: the mystic and monastic reformer, the artist and proto-feminist, and the philosopher with a penchant for paradox.

"What a gift then to read Dana Delibovi's translations of St Teresa d'Ávila's complete poems-sweet treasure!--so elegant and concise, the language lyrical yet simple and accessible, the music of the stanzas and the profundity of her voice carried into English. I also appreciated Delibovi's curation: the short introductions and thematic arrangement of the poems--nothing overly ponderous and academic. It's as if we are on a pilgrimage into the heart and soul and song of this amazing woman and spiritual leader and poet." --Julia Alvarez, poet, novelist, and essayist; author of The Cemetery of Untold Stories

"Saint Teresa has, at last, found an English translator who has deeply penetrated the poet's essence, her revelatory reverence and rapturous beauty." --Christopher Sawyer-Lauçanno, author of Night Suite, Remission, and A Continual Pilgrimage: American Writers in Paris, 1944-1960

St. Teresa of Avila's poems, written in the 16th century, speak to the spiritual longing of our times and invite us to find peace amid turmoil. St. Teresa walked a path of grace, seeking the divine within the human soul, and her poetry lights this path for all of us. This is the first translation of St. Teresa's poetry by a woman poet and captures the saint's spiritual vigor and famously conversational tone in English. That voice is echoed in well-researched commentary strengthened by the translator's willingness to share her spiritual journey.

Author Biography

Dana Delibovi began translating the poetry of St. Teresa of Ávila in 2019, after retiring from a hybrid career as an advertising copywriter and adjunct instructor of philosophy. Her translations of Teresa's poetry and her essays on Teresa's legacy have appeared in journals including Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry, U.S. Catholic, After the Art, and Confluence, with translations forthcoming in Catholic Poetry Room and a new anthology from Word on Fire. Delibovi's writing has also appeared in Noon, Psaltery & Lyre, Salamander, and Slippery Elm. She is a Pushcart Prize nominee, a Best American Essays notable essayist, and 2023 co-winner of the Hueston Woods Poetry Contest. Delibovi is Consulting Poetry Editor at the literary e-zine Cable Street. She received her BA from Barnard College, Columbia University, and holds MA degrees from New York University and Bank Street College of Education.