Poems from the Muerto de Amor Poetry Event
Homage to Federico Garcia Lorca
Preface
Autumn 2010. A group of Spanish artists, members of S.A.L. (Spanish Artists in London) are brought together by Carlos Espana Caparros in an exhibition of original work created to honour the life and work of Federico Garcia Lorca. ‘Muerto de Amor’ is both the title and theme of the exhibition. In the words of Carlos Espana himself in his foreword to the catalogue, “love in its diverse forms: driving force of relationships, abstract concept, deep and transcendent feeling, state of the soul…” is the subject matter of the exhibition.
In his introduction to the catalogue, Carlos Alvarez-Novoa says, ” For Lorca, ‘Death’ is disguised as ‘Love’, a love linked to Nature that renders all men equal, but also confronts them face to face, driven by passion and the inevitability of destiny. Desire, absence, emptiness…The contrast between reality and dreams, fantasies, repressed desires, a hidden and prohibited love that leads to solitude and death. In short, love as exaltation of life, a life intensely lived, but inevitably destined to die”.
As a writer of poetry and plays myself, I have been both influenced and inspired by the work of Lorca. It has therefore been great privilege to organise the poetry event that has accompanied the exhibition. It seemed appropriate to make this event a celebration of poems in many languages. The exhibition is dedicated to a great Spanish writer, features the work of Spanish artists, has been launched in London and hosted by MP Birla Art Gallery, The Bhavan Centre, Institute for Indian Art and Culture. In keeping with this inspirational collaboration between different cultures, the poets who have contributed to the poetry event have written and performed poems in English, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Irish and Urdu. Many of these poems are now brought together in this collection.
Susie Campbell, Autumn 2010.