Born in Fuente Vaqueros, Granada, Spain, June 5 1898; died near Granada, August 19 1936, Garc铆a Lorca is one of Spain's most deeply appreciated and highly revered poets and dramatists. His murder by the Nationalists at the start of the Spanish civil war brought sudden international fame, accompanied by an excess of political rhetoric which led a later generation to question his merits; after the inevitable slump, his reputation has recovered (largely with a shift in interest to the less obvious works). He must now be bracketed with Machado as one of the two greatest poets Spain has produced in the 20th century, and he is certainly Spain's greatest dramatist since the Golden Age.
This work has a slightly ironic and casual tone at the beginning to stir up sentences and a reality that wants to be (which is) deep, unexpected lighting and comparisons, the beauty of the images. It develops in digressions and divergent orientations to better define the essential. We find, in addition to Socrates and Descartes, V茅lasquez, Zurbar脿n, Goya, of course, and Keats, bullfighters, Goethe, Paganini, Manuel Torres, "great artist of the Andalusian people" (who does not have it), Nietzsche, C茅zanne, Saint Theresa ( d 'Avila of course). Rimbaud, "dark Hispanic genius," with Ignacio Espeleta, "handsome as a Roman turtle," and Elvira la Caliente, "noble whore of Sevilla," Quevedo, Vald猫s L茅al, dancers and dancers, and a boy from Salamanca killed by a bull, and others, and by night, plants.
I have a new appreciation of Lorca after reading this book, which situates some of his best poems in the context of some stunningly well-written prose essays that spell out his ars poetica. Before I read this book, I confess I often felt frustrated by Lorca's insistence that poetry must be mysterious: the wispy, allusive, fragmentary feel of some of his poems (especially the short ones) made them feel incomplete to me; I wanted to see a fuller development of the themes he was setting up, not just a ritualistic naming of a few poetic-sounding nouns ("death," "balcony," "oranges," "wheat") followed by the exclamatory repetition of a refrain that I had only just begun to understand. Reading the beautifully clear essays in this book gave me a better understanding of what Lorca was aiming to achieve in his poetry; moreover, the three poems at the end of this collection are true masterpieces that demonstrate exactly how mystery, in the hands of a talented poet, can be an asset rather than a liability to a poem.
Risvolto 芦Billie Holiday e Tennessee Williams ce l'avevano. Ella Fitzgerald quasi, ma non proprio. E Miles Davis forse non aveva altro禄 (Kenneth Tynan). Il discorso che ha mostrato per la prima volta quale demone accomuni i toreri, i ballerini di flamenco e alcuni artisti. --------------- Si tratta del testo preparato da Garc铆a Lorca per una conferenza tenuta a Buenos Aires, nel salone della Sociedad de los Amigos del Arte nel 1933, pochi anni prima di venir fucilato dalla polizia franchista. Confesso: non ho recepito tutto, perch茅 contiene numerosi richiami ad opere ed autori che non conosco. Ma a me interessava capire cosa fosse questo benedetto duende che spesso mi attraversa la strada. Non 猫 una musa, non 猫 un angelo, ma 猫 pur sempre qualcosa che si impossessa, ma che sta gi脿 dentro, nelle pi霉 recondite stanze del sangue. 鈥淚l duende non sta nella gola; il duende monta dentro, dalla pianta dei piedi. Vale a dire, non 猫 questione di capacit脿 ma di autentico stile vivo; vale a dire, di sangue; di antichissima cultura, e, al contempo, di creazione in atto鈥�. Insomma qualcosa di demoniaco che possiede il senso della morte, qualcosa con cui lottare. 鈥淧er cercare il duende non c鈥櫭� mappa n茅 esercizio. Si sa solo che brucia il sangue come un tropico di vetri, che estenua, che respinge tutta la dolce geometria appresa, che rompe gli stili, che si appoggia al dolore umano inconsolabile, che fa s矛 che Goya, maestro dei grigi, degli argenti e dei rosa della miglior pittura inglese, dipinga con le ginocchia e i pugni con orribili neri bitume鈥�. E鈥� un folletto, una voce nuova, un vento mentale: i toreri, i ballerini di flamenco, e chi altro? E鈥� qualcosa con cui si nasce, e che poi cresce, che si nutre di conflitto. Brahms non lo possedeva, Bach s矛 (e su questo non sono d'accordo: anche Brahms lo possedeva, lo possedeva eccome). Non troverete una definizione, qui, anche perch茅 definirlo significherebbe ingabbiarlo e i folletti non s'ingabbiano. Un鈥檃nalogia evidente semmai 猫 con il d谩imon greco, a met脿 strada tra ci貌 che 猫 divino e ci貌 che 猫 umano. Una disposizione con cui si nasce, non si acquisisce, n茅 si impara. Un fluido, una forza, un qualcosa che parte da dentro come un demone che si impossessa del corpo dell鈥檃rtista. Daimon, appunto, come lo chiamer脿 anche lo psicoanalista James Hillman ne "Il codice dell鈥檃nima".
in search of duende is a slim collection of expository essays in which garc铆a lorca considers the inspiring force of the duende, and its effects upon three differing art forms. this hard to define concept is made clear (or as clear as such a concept can be made) by the spanish poet through example and thoughtful consideration. "deep song" and "play and theory of the duende" are the highlights of this work. interspersed throughout are some of garc铆a lorca's poems, including the stunning "lament for ignacio s谩nchez mej铆as." though less than 100 pages, in search of duende is a powerful and sweeping insight into the roots of artistic creation.
the duende, then, is a power, not a work. it is a struggle, not a thought. i have heard an old maestro of the guitar say, "the duende is not in the throat; the duende climbs up inside you, from the soles of your feet." meaning this: it is not a question of ability, but of true, living style, of blood, of the most ancient culture, of spontaneous creation.
the duende.... where is the duende? through the empty arch comes a wind, a mental wind blowing relentlessly over the heads of the dead, in search of new landscapes and unknown accents; a wind that smells of baby's spittle, crushed grass, and jellyfish veil, announcing the constant baptism of newly created things.
This little book is filled with the writings, by Frederico Garcia Lorca, about duende. Difficult to define, Lorca says of duende: "an inexplicable power of attraction, the ability, on rare occasions, to send waves of emotion through those watching and listening to them. Lorca says: "The duende does not come at all unless he sees that death is possible . . . With idea, sound, or gesture, the duende enjoys fighting the creator on the very rim of the well." Lorca talks about the differences between the muse, the angel, and the duende, with regard to certain types of creative expression: poetry spoken out loud, a primitive dance with ancient roots performed by spanish gypsy's and music, called "deep song." He says there are at least four elements that can be isolated in duende: "irrationality, earthiness, a heightened awareness of death, and a dash of the diabolical. The duende is a demonic earth spirit who helps the artist see the limitations of intelligence ..." Through lectures and poetry Lorca conveys this intense and deeply emotional place that few artists reach. A deep and thought-provoking read.
Beautiful verse and well articulated essays. The prose in the collection represents Lorca's work well; I wish some of his love drunk poems were included, but the collection reads well anyway.
Trough the metaphore of Spain and the figures of the angel, the muse and the duende, Lorca tries to analyse what in his opinion makes the diference between a good art piece and and this specific and magical moment when creation can simply shake your body and soul. If you see this text as something more then just the first plain level of reading, it becomes real poetry. Duende is what I tried to get to all these years without being able to name it properly.
El concepto de duende que explica Garc铆a Lorca me recuerda al de artista poseso o dionis铆aco de Nietzsche (en El origen de la tragedia), en contraposici贸n con el artista art铆fice o apol铆neo.
El duende es "el misterio, las ra铆ces que se clavan en el limo que todos conocemos, que todos ignoramos, pero de donde nos llega lo que es sustancial en el arte. [...] es un poder y no un obrar, es un luchar y no un pensar. [...] no es cuesti贸n de facultad, sino de verdadero estilo vivo; es decir, de sangre; es decir, de viej铆sima cultura, de creaci贸n en acto". Compara su duende (que mueve a Espa帽a) con otras fuentes de inspiraci贸n: El 谩ngel (propio de Italia) da luces y, al estar por encima del ser humano, deslumbra y derrama su gloria y el artista realiza la obra sin esfuerzo pues ya est谩 predestinado. La musa (com煤n en Alemania) da formas: dicta y a veces sopla, est谩 relacionada con la inteligencia (que es enemiga de la poes铆a) y Lorca parece asociarla a lo r铆gido y lo pretencioso. Pero para encontrar al duende no hay mapa ni ejercicio, con 茅l uno lucha, el duende quema la sangre, agota, rompe los estilos. Rimbaud, Jorge Manrique, Lautr茅amont y los gitanos y andaluces "saben que no es posible ninguna emoci贸n sin la llegada del duende". No tiene que ver con facultades, t茅cnica o maestr铆a, sino con lo genuino, lo fresco, lo despojado de formas y seguridades. "Todas las artes son capaces de duende, pero donde encuentra m谩s campo, como es natural, es en la m煤sica, en la danza y en la poes铆a hablada, ya que estas necesitan un cuerpo vivo que interprete, porque son formas que nacen y mueren de modo perpetuo". Un rasgo peculiar del duende es que no se repite nunca, revela siempre lo in茅dito, como "las formas del mar en la borrasca".
Se detiene a explicar la 铆ntima relaci贸n que tiene Espa帽a con la muerte, en sus dos costados: el 谩spero y el l铆rico. El duende est谩 vinculado con la muerte, y mientras la musa y el 谩ngel se lamentan, 茅l lucha y hiere (y es una herida que no se cierra nunca en el artista).
"En Espa帽a (como en los pueblos de Oriente, donde la danza es expresi贸n religiosa) tiene el duende un campo sin l铆mites sobre los cuerpos de las bailarinas de C谩diz, [...] sobre los pechos de los que cantan, [...] y en toda la liturgia de los toros, aut茅ntico drama religioso donde, de la misma manera que en la misa, se adora y se sacrifica a un Dios". Dice Garc铆a Lorca que el duende se resume "en esta fiesta perfecta, exponente de la cultura y de la gran sensibilidad de un pueblo que descubre en el hombre sus mejores iras, sus mejores bilis y su mejor llanto. Ni en el baile espa帽ol ni en los toros se divierte nadie; el duende se encarga de hacer sufrir por medio del drama [...]".
Intertextualidad
Menciones directas: * Conversaciones con Eckermann de Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Sacro Imperio Romano Germ谩nico, 1827) (cita). * Sue帽o del Juicio Final o El sue帽o de las calaveras de Francisco de Quevedo (Espa帽a, 1605). * Canci贸n "La sangre de mis entra帽as...", an贸nima (Espa帽a, s. XVII) (cita). * Balada "Si t煤 eres mi linda amiga...", an贸nima (Espa帽a, ?) (cita). * Poema "Dentro del vergel...", an贸nimo (Espa帽a, ?) (cita). * C谩ntico espiritual de Juan de la Cruz (Espa帽a, 1578) (cita).
* Menci贸n al episodio del mono parlante en Don Quijote de la Mancha de Miguel de Cervantes (Espa帽a, 1615). * Menci贸n al demonio o genio maligno de Descartes postulado en sus Meditaciones metaf铆sicas (Francia, 1641). * Menci贸n a Geri贸n, el gigante monstruoso de tres cuerpos de la mitolog铆a griega, a quien Heracles rob贸 y mat贸 como parte de sus doce trabajos, cuya primera menci贸n de que se tiene registro est谩 en la Gerioneida de Estes铆coro (Grecia, s. VI a. C.). * Menci贸n al personaje Pleberio de La Celestina de Fernando de Rojas (Espa帽a, ca. 1499). * Menci贸n a los escritores Friedrich Nietzsche (Alemania, s. XIX), Ren茅 Descartes (Francia, s. XVII), Guillaume Apollinaire (Francia, s. XX), Juan de la Cruz (Espa帽a, s. XVI), Jacinto Verdaguer (Espa帽a, s. XIX), Jorge Manrique (Espa帽a, s. XV), Arthur Rimbaud (Francia, s. XIX), Conde de Lautr茅amont (Uruguay/Francia, s. XIX), Pedro Soto de Rojas (Espa帽a, s. XVII), Ioannes Climacus/Juan Cl铆maco (Siria, s. VII), Jos茅 de Valdivielso (Espa帽a, s. XVII), Jos茅 de Sig眉enza (Espa帽a, s. XVI-XVII), Lucrecio (Roma, s. I a. C.), John Keats (Inglaterra, s. XIX), Alfonso 脕lvarez de Villasandino (Espa帽a, s. XIV-XV), Fernando de Herrera (Espa帽a, s. XVI), Gustavo Adolfo B茅cquer (Espa帽a, s. XIX), Juan Ram贸n Jim茅nez (Espa帽a, s. XX), Teresa de Jes煤s (Espa帽a, s. XVI), Marcial (Roma, s. I), Juvenal (Roma, s. I-II), Lope de Vega (Espa帽a, s. XVII), Luis de G贸ngora (Espa帽a, s. XVI-XVII), Garcilaso de la Vega (s. XVI), Gonzalo de Berceo (Espa帽a, s. XIII), Arcipreste de Hita (Espa帽a, s. XIV) y Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Francia, s. XVIII).
Lorca's take on duende is endlessly fascinating, which is great because his take is the only take I've taken--other than some blog-browsing that I vaguely remember. I'm pretty much going to pass out from all there is to mull over in this little number. I really love the idea of having a concept to position between the muse and the angel. Both seem so Spicerian (in the superficial way), but probably this third is what's really at the core of Jack's oeuvre, especially considering his relationship to Freddy.
Not really what I was expecting from this book. The poems were all excellent, I can definitely say that. But the prose pieces were hit-and-miss. I understand why this was important to Lorca and his aesthetics, but I can only read so much about gypsy folk songs. The bullfighting pieces were more up my alley. Honestly, this is the first book I've ever read from New Directions that didn't meet or exceed my expectations. The poetry is highly recommended.
Its been years since I discovered and this book on the shelves of the DePaul Library and devoured it and tucked it into my soul as a raison d'arte, young and silly as I was. But duende is a term we all should be familiar with in art...I was reminded of my experience of this book by a recent article about Nick Cave in the Guardian. I need to read this little tract again.
If you鈥檙e in search of this mysterious 鈥渋t factor鈥� called duende, don鈥檛 expect to figure out where to find it from Lorca. He鈥檒l gladly tell you all about this magical quality that every artist longs for that he鈥檚 lucky enough to possess, but he鈥檒l never tell you where to find it. If you don鈥檛 have duende, well, too bad, so sad for you.
The essay "Play and Theory of the Duende" in this book is one of the more important pieces on creativity that I've ever read. It's got the juice that's so often missing from conversations about "process" and it effortlessly combines the arts of dance and writing in a way I thought I was crazy for.
A bit more of a cri de coeur than a pedantic poetic apologia (Tom Eliot, looking discreetly in your direction, gub'na!) which is a-ok by me, especially when one is searching for what you call 'the dark root of the scream'...
Lovely to read in Seville, the day after a fantastic flamenco performance, with lots of things I underlined. But also a bit like a boy you dated in college, and holy Orientalism! Makes me want to read more/more about Lorca, though.
this book brings together theory, lectures and poems about duende - but in a way that feels like real life. a must read for a poet. you'll be looking for Duende under every rock. Where is it?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Really interesting weave of mystical essays and poetry. The tiny book felt like a search and, in the end, lands upon some kind of conclusion. A lot to learn from.