To the Editors:

As the authors of the original Spanish language edition of New Poetry of Mexico (Poesía en movimiento), we feel that it is necessary to amplify the statement by Marian Skedgell, of E.P. Dutton & Co., which appeared in The New York Review of Books of February 25.

The biographical notes in Spanish which appear in the Dutton book, and which are attributed to us, were furnished to the publisher by José Castillo of the Center for Inter-American Relations. We are particularly anxious to disassociate ourselves from these notes, as they are written in horrendous and incorrect Spanish, and the name of our country, México, consistently appears in them as “Méjico,” the obstinate Spanish form which is completely repudiated in Mexico.

Thank you for the opportunity of bringing this unfortunate inaccuracy to the attention of readers of the book.

Octavio Paz

Ali Chumacero

José Emilio Pacheco

Homero Aridjis

Mexico City

This Issue

May 20, 1971