The poetry of the Mexican Coral Bracho has always had a strong political meaning. Of political criticism. This is one of the qualities that the jury that awarded her the 2023 FIL Literature Prize recognized. At the opening of the Mass this Saturday, the writer gave a good example of the concern that always accompanies her in the most difficult situations. dramatic events that the world is going through. “How is it possible that humanity continues to fight against itself with all possible violence? How is it possible that wars continue to be accepted and encouraged? And how will governments that protect the freedom and lives of those they govern continue to be enforced and accepted?” Just as a message can be felt in the verses, the collective spirit of the audience traveled from Israel to Ukraine with these words from Bracho , from Africa to Latin America and experienced the terrible circumstances that are in the news these days.
The author of “It Should Be a Misunderstanding” has defended poetry as an ever-useful tool for “the development of an ethical conscience for humanity” at a time when the world needs “a new perspective, an analytical and critical faculty that “It allows us to find solutions that benefit all people and that put the well-being of all and the preservation of life on the planet above the excessive economic profits that almost all governments allow, exploit and support.”
After almost three hours of previous speeches, there was already a lot of activity outside the fair and Bracho’s poetic and calm voice had not found the calm that is typical of verse. The murmur that entered the room made his speech barely audible. The poet also had to share the spotlight with the ubiquity of Raúl López Padilla, founder of the FIL, who died in April of this year and whose career in the intervention sector was recognized by all. There was also a lack of silence and a dose of spirituality to listen to the interesting journey that the writer Verónica Murguía traced through Bracho’s poetics. In her profile, she highlighted that her friend’s verses have something “of a magician, a fortune teller”, the “complexity of her gaze that contrasts with the quality and freshness, the modesty and simplicity” of her personality.
It is not common for poetry to receive the highest recognitions normally accorded in the world of literature, but sometimes it does happen. Bracho explained how poetry carries the same socio-political and emotional charge that we find in the rest of literature. “What are we? What space do we live in? What is time? What is fire, water like? And the air? And the stars? What are the living beings that inhabit this planet like and what is our relationship to them? ” Metaphysics has always been a poetic subject, but the author has also expanded to more prosaic and cruel topics that she has to live with every day. And he has achieved this with the amazing form of questions. “How is it possible that in As centuries go by, other people continue to be attacked and humiliated because of their race, because of their customs, because of their situation of poverty? How can it be that catastrophic economic inequality and persistent inequality and violence against women and different racial and sexual identities continue to exist in the world ? In short, how is it possible that violence has become an everyday expression in countries like ours, where murders are already countless? In the absence of answers, Bracho’s poetry condemns “what customs, stereotypes and prejudices prevent us from seeing and to feel”.
If humans have developed self-awareness through feelings and sensitivity, the laureate emphasized, “we must now turn to them to promote a genuine approach to the world in which we live, a vital attitude that values and protects animals. “that respects nature and promotes deep closeness and cohesion between people.” It doesn’t look like the world is turning in that direction at the moment, which makes Bracho sad. But he did not miss the opportunity to present his own recipe for improvement, which, in his view, is to promote the creative education of children and young people and society in general, an education that “fosters the reflective and determined spirit that defines us .” freer and brings us as close as possible to other people’s different ways of thinking and feeling.” That doesn’t sound easy either, given the polarization that seems to catch a new country in its net every day.
But the author does not give up her attempt, and towards the end of her speech she embraced the power of poetry as a unique way of seeing the world and “giving sensitivity an important place in life”. Bracho thanked the jury for the “unexpected and moving” award and the Era publishing house, where most of his work was published, work that has always brought him joy. She never thought of becoming a poet but a scientist, but the words and the special way in which poetry, with all its plasticity and music, can describe the world captivated her between the verses of Góngora and Quevedo, Lorca and Neruda, Baudelaire and TS Eliot, Lezama Lima and her boyfriend David Huerta.
This language, “which opens paths and suggests ways to recognize and feel the immensity of everyday space, the infinity of the smallest and the proximity of the most distant,” with this language “poetry illuminates, touches and seeks to immerse itself in everything that “It is”. It is given to us to feel and know throughout our lives.”
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