Antonio Cisneros is one of the most important Latin American poets and intellectuals of the twentieth century. He has gained recognition not only as a poet but also as a journalist, literary critic, prose writer, chronicler, and translator. He has directed important journals such as Cuadernos (Notebooks), a publication of the National Council of the Peruvian University, El Caballo Rojo (The Red Horse), and Sí (Yes). His books have been celebrated with distinguished awards, including the National Poetry Prize in 1964; the Casa de las Américas First Prize for Poetry in 1968; a special mention in the Rubén Darío Poetry Contest in 1980; and the Gabriela Mistral Inter-American Prize for Culture in 2000.

Antonio Cisneros Campoy was born on 27 December 1942 in Lima, Peru, into a middle-class family that supported his decision to study letters. He studied literature at the Catholic University in Lima until he...