ABOUT THIS BOOK

Idea Vilariño’s final masterpiece, where poetry becomes both refusal and resilience.

In No, Idea Vilariño strips poetry to its essence—distilling love, loss, and the inexorable passage of time into spare yet searing verses. Renowned as a leading voice of Uruguay’s “Generation of 45,” Vilariño’s final collection is at once a defiant refusal and an unrelenting assertion of existence. From its stark nihilism emerges a poetic voice that insists on being heard, even as it denies life’s joys.

Now available in English for the first time, No has been masterfully translated by María José Zubieta, in collaboration with poet and musicologist J. Martin Daughtry. This bilingual edition preserves Vilariño’s rhythmic precision and existential intensity, giving readers a rare glimpse into a body of work that continues to resonate far beyond its origins. No is a testament to the power of poetry to confront the void, and to carve meaning from silence.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Idea Vilariño (1920–2009) was a renowned Uruguayan poet, translator, literary critic, and university professor. Her poetry collections, including Poemas de amor and Nocturnos, cemented her reputation as one of Latin America’s most influential literary voices. María José Zubieta is a literary translator and professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at New York University, where she teaches literary translation, translation theory, and creative writing. Originally from Montevideo, Uruguay, she has coordinated multiple international translation projects, leading to the publication of works such as Every Body Is Totem, an anthology of poetry by José Watanabe.

REVIEWS

"Discover the haunting beauty and existential depth of Idea Vilariño's poetry in No, now masterfully translated into English for the first time by María José Zubieta. A towering figure of Uruguay's 'Generation of 45,' Vilariño's stark, uncompromising verses capture the human condition in its rawest form—a poignant meditation on love, loss, and the inexorable march of time.
In No, often considered her masterpiece, Vilariño distills a lifetime of poetic exploration into concise, strikingly lyrical poems, each brimming with both defiance and vulnerability. As the title suggests, No embodies a denial—of life, joy, and love—but from this refusal emerges a tenacious poetic voice that insists on being heard.
María José Zubieta's meticulous translation preserves Vilariño's thematic density and musicality, offering English-speaking readers an intimate glimpse into the work of a poet whose influence resonates far beyond Uruguay's borders. With the collaboration of poet and musicologist J. Martin Daughtry, Zubieta navigates the delicate interplay between meaning and rhythm, rendering Vilariño's existentialist vision with precision and care.
For lovers of world literature and poetry, No is both an invitation and a challenge—to confront the void, to embrace the beauty in starkness, and to hear the echo of one of Uruguay's greatest voices."

— Sara Cordón

"Idea Vilariño, a luminary of the Uruguayan 'Generación del 45,' left an indelible mark on the literary world. Renowned for her powerful and introspective poetry, Vilariño was honored with the Premio Konex Mercosur as one of the most influential poets writing in Spanish. No, her last collection, reveals the depth of her poetic genius that plumbs existential yearnings and unflinchingly names with her “no” our inevitable loss. María José Zubieta’s English rendition recreates with care and great intelligence the poet’s spare, anti-rhetorical, but carefully crafted rhythmic voice and structural choices. This slim bilingual book condenses death, grief, silence and beauty in short poems that will resonate far beyond these pages."

— Sarah Pollack

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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