Upper Volta

Author: Yanko González

Translator: Stephen Rosenshein

Publisher: Ugly Duckling Presse (2021)

Like an anthropologist doing fieldwork; in Upper Volta Yanko González collects language from street corners; grocery store aisles; cocktail hours; and historical sources; laying data bare with a poet's meticulous hand. In his findings; González gives voice to the voiceless; and exposes the underbelly of our own biases—the ways in which they manifest in everyday language and collective consciousness. Originally published in Chile in 2007; Upper Volta transcends borders and boundaries in its exploration of topics all too relevant in our current political climate. Like a mirror; it forces us to look head-on at the language of globalization and ethnocentrism and the changing tide of thought and culture within our own society.