Certainly, poems such as Salmo I, La hora de Dios, El buitre de Prometeo, Alborada espiritual, ¡Perdón!, Vencido, Las siete palabras y dos más, or sonnets such as Al destino, Fe, and Resignación are not from Góngora or Lope de Vega. And if, in them, Unamuno showed himself to be “more philosopher than poet,” what, then, is the poetic quality that such verses lack? Or rather: in what sense would the poetic verve of those authors be superior to that of Unamuno? The truth is that, in the aforementioned poems, the expression could not be more vigorous, nor the motivation more authentic. And if that does not place Unamuno in the first echelon of Spanish poets, perhaps it would be convenient to create a new group to include him—and this would be the group of poets whose reading is most meaningful to the reader.
Tag: literature
Ortega y Gasset, Antonio Machado, Pío Baroja…
Ortega y Gasset, Antonio Machado, Pío Baroja… Spanish literature has given me some memorable reads. None, however, have provoked in me a feeling similar to what I experienced after coming into contact with Unamuno, who seemed like a family member to me. There are cases like this in literature: a line separates admiration, empathy, and appreciation from this unmistakable feeling of identification. And it is always special to see in an author a member of one’s own species, whose concerns are those intimately felt, whose expression vocalizes something that could be said by oneself. Rare, but when it occurs, it shows that there is no untransmittable individuality; there have always been and always will be others who, through literature, can understand.
The Most Enjoyable Aspect of Writing…
The most enjoyable aspect of writing is the possibility of completely individualizing the process, allowing the subjective element to act as an enhancer. In most occupations, this is not possible, and the effectiveness of the process usually requires objective sequential execution, something that tends to be discouraging over time. But the writer can easily get used to making a cup of coffee or lighting a cigarette before work and effectively witness that, in doing so, ideas begin to flow. In his creative process, there is room for all his quirks, and this produces enormous satisfaction.
Sometimes It Is Difficult to Control…
Sometimes it is difficult to control the strong disinterest in literature and its devices, which arises after contact with the extraordinary in a real story. Come to mind all the criticism of Northrop Frye, systematizer of a wide variety of creative possibilities, divisions into genres, modes, particular uses of symbols, myths, etc., etc. All of this, in short, is quite interesting, but seems insignificant in the face of a simple real experience. The question arises: for what purpose do we read and study? And then we realize that literature, like any science, the more we study it from a strictly technical perspective, the more we leave aside what truly justifies a creation. It is very, very difficult not to want to send all these expedients to hell and retreat forever into silence and meditation.