Mongo Affair.
Nuyorican Press, 1978. / DG. Item #4241
Perfect bound in pictorial wrappers. Cover by Fernando Salicrup with cover graffiti lettering by Anthony Saralegui. Illustrations by Sandra María Esteves.
The second volume of poetry by Algarín, co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café. The collection is structured in four sections, which Algarín explains in a brief introduction: "SHORT CIRCUITS, is dedicated to and about the Nuyorican Poet's [sic] Café...EL CAPITAN SAN MIGUELITO, is a story poem dealing with the tragi-comic exploits of a lovable François Villon, who fantasizes a war and manages to thrill his friends in the process...In the third section, CURRENTS/CORRIENTES/COURANTS, I'm traveling and looking at what's going on in Europe and Tangiers. I traveled with Lucky CienFuegos, Miguel Piñero, Dadi Piñero and Margarita--Tanya, a Ford van we bought for two hundred dollars in Amsterdam...The last section of the book is called, NUYORICAN AIR, in it I relay my bilingual songs of love and hate for the tar and concrete jungle of Manhattan." Of note, the first three leaves, including the title page, dedication, and copyright pages, are reproduced and included in whole as the final three leaves of this copy.
This copy is from the library of the poet Dick Gallup, and is inscribed to him in Boulder, Colorado in 1978 on the title page: "Dick Gallup / Gallop Gallup / up with the gall, / here are shed skins, / words that come to life / as I beat them with / my tongue."
Good, with heavy staining to the covers and the edges of the text block, with a single stain appearing on the edge of the interior pages with increasing presence from p. 50 onwards. An interesting and warm association copy.
Price: $325.00