A Meditation on Parenting from Syria to Peru to the U.S.: Farid Matuk

Abstract

Born in Lima, Peru, Farid Matuk left with his Syrian descent family in Peru for the U.S. at the age of six and spent his formative years in Anaheim, California. He reflects on how his multiple heritages, languages, and travels to South America have influenced him in becoming a poet, essayist, and translator. Having earned honors and awards for his poetry, Matuk engages both contemporary and historical matters. In particular, he pays attention to how gender roles, historical memory, immigration, and race have affected his outlook on the representation of parenting in his work. As a poetry translator, he is also responsible for introducing a younger generation of poets from Spanish-speaking countries to an English readership in the U.S. and on a global scale.