About the book: Bomarzo, by Elsa Cross, is a haunting long poem that unfolds as a journey through dream, memory, and myth. Inspired by the sixteenth-century Parco dei Mostri in Bomarzo, Italy—an enigmatic garden of stone monsters built by Duke Pier Francesco Orsini—the collection transforms this surreal landscape into a symbolic and linguistic terrain. Structured in nineteen numbered sections, the poem follows the pattern of an underworld journey, though its narrative movement is constantly interrupted by visions, recollections, and shifts in voice. The result is a layered poetic space where references from different times and cultures converge: from pre-Columbian Malinalco to Père-Lachaise Cemetery, and from the Cumaean Sibyl to figures such as Paul Celan, Paul Valéry, and Friedrich Nietzsche. Both meditative and dreamlike, Bomarzo creates an atmosphere where philosophical reflection coexists with lyrical clarity. As Octavio Paz observed of Cross’s work, it is precisely the harmony between intellectual depth and transparent language that gives her poetry its enduring power.

About the author: Elsa Cross (Mexico City, Mexico, 1946) is a Mexican poet, essayist, and scholar widely regarded as one of the most important voices in contemporary Mexican poetry. Her work is known for its philosophical depth and its engagement with mysticism, spirituality, and ancient traditions, drawing inspiration from sources such as Eastern philosophy, classical mythology, and pre-Hispanic cultures. Cross has published numerous poetry collections and essays, many of which have received significant recognition in Mexico and abroad. She has been awarded major literary honors, including the Premio Nacional de Poesía Aguascalientes and the Premio Xavier Villaurrutia. In addition to her literary career, she has worked as a scholar of religion and literature, contributing to the study and dissemination of spiritual traditions and poetic thought.

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