Jorge Enrique Adoum is one of the esteemed poets of Ecuador as well as an important voice and presence in twentieth-century Latin American literature and culture. Although his work spans six decades and many themes, the predominant concern of his poetry is the social and political reality of Latin America. The telluric thread that connects his many volumes of poems is not only an evocation of the land and its resources but also a denunciation of centuries of exploitation, from without and within, and a testament to many resisters and victims, the unknown as well as the famous. Critics of his work agree that this political stance is as basic and constant in his life as it is in his literature; his integrity is well established. So, too, is his reputation as a dedicated and innovative crafter of words and a scholar of world literature. He was awarded...