Federico García Lorca, poeta elegíaco y antielegíaco by Salvatore Poeta

Abstract

Reviewed by: Federico García Lorca, poeta elegíaco y antielegíaco by Salvatore Poeta Grant Moss Poeta, Salvatore. Federico García Lorca, poeta elegíaco y antielegíaco. Editorial Pliegos, 2022. Pp. 351. ISBN 978-84-12257-58-8. In Federico García Lorca, poeta elegíaco y antielegíaco, Salvatore Poeta questions why few have centered on Federico García Lorca as an elegiac poet. Poeta argues that since Lorca created quite possibly the most emblematic Spanish elegy of all time in his Llanto por Ignacio Sánchez Mejías, the poet from Granada should be recognized as a superior elegist (14). However, Poeta reminds us that his argument is not to sustain an absolute model of the elegiac genre but to show how Lorca in some moments conformed to, and in other moments, subverted the tradition (49). The book begins with an in-depth, reasoned introduction where the author openly and acutely makes a case for Lorca’s leading position in the elegiac style. In fact, the introduction suggests that Lorca’s Llanto por Ignacio Sánchez Mejías may only be rivaled by Gilgamesh (the introduction compares them side by side in one instance). The densely-argued introduction offers insights to Poeta’s prior work on Lorca and on elegy; it prepares us for the multi-layered scholarly inquiry that follows. The main body of the text is identified as an “Antología;” while it does contain poems written by Lorca that reflect certain elements of elegies or anti-elegies, the true emphasis of each of the ten chapters is the intense literary scrutiny of Lorca’s poetics as either elegiac or anti-elegiac. For that end, each chapter begins with a comprehensive, foundational argument called Palabras preliminares; each Palabras preliminares section dissects the interconnected elegiac or anti-elegiac aspects of the poems that follow. The chapters include topics such as: pro-retro-gresiva funeral elegies, funeral elegies with auto-referential and auto-reflexive symbols, and funeral anti-elegies either of la vida sofocada or la muerte vivificada. The “Antología” has canonized poems and unfinished works that point to an underlying theme: Lorca as an elite elegist (or anti-elegist). The ten chapters of the “Antología” are followed by an ample appendix (“Apéndice. Especies al margen de la ‘función’ elegíaca”). The appendix contains some of Lorca’s writings that are neither elegiac nor anti-elegiac but those which seem to be close to performing the role of the elegy in some way. The appendix also includes a short conclusion called Palabras recapitulantes. Palabras recapitulantes reiterates the premise of the book: Lorca within the elegiac paradigm. Federico García Lorca, poeta elegíaco y antielegíaco’s multifaceted exploration of Lorca’s elegies and anti-elegies prompts readers to search Lorca’s writings with more attentiveness. Since [End Page 150] Poeta’s study of Lorca’s requiems and anti-requiems addresses four necessary elements of elegies (1. lyrical perspective and voice, 2. reconciliation of that which is not reconcilable, 3. meta-morphic transcendence, and 4. lyrical perspectivism), the book requires readers to concentrate their attention on aspects of the poetry far beyond impassioned voice (18–19). In that vein, readers will note that the anthological component aids the analysis but does not overtake it. Followers of Poeta’s prior work will not be disappointed with Federico García Lorca, poeta elegíaco y antielegíaco. The book is specifically designed for Lorca specialists or authorities on elegies (either in the Spanish tradition or otherwise). It offers new insights on Lorca’s work; it will be attractive to any Lorca scholars, particularly because of the analysis of both canonized writings and lesser-known poems. For that reason, it could also serve as a secondary resource for advanced graduate-level courses on twentieth-century Spanish poetry or Lorca’s works. For scholars who are interested in elegies, the book may convince them of Lorca’s position as a first-class elegist among the greats such as Jorge Manrique, Fernando de Rojas, or even the author of Gilgamesh. Grant Moss Pittsburg State University Copyright © 2023 American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, Inc