Parody and Metapoetry in Two Poems by Gloria Fuertes

Abstract

Like many of her contemporaries, the Spanish poet Gloria Fuertes (1917–1998) explores metapoetic themes such as the essence of poetic language, the purpose of poetry and the role of the poet and the reader in her work. This article considers metapoetry and the closely related concept of parody in two of her poems, 'El vendedor de papeles o el poeta sin suerte', first published in 1954, and 'Maletilla', from Poeta de guardia (1968). Both poems reveal her experience of being sidelined by literary critics, which she responds to by including deliberately non-poetic language in her work, thus emphasizing her aim of reaching ordinary people and her rejection of élitist writing. On the basis of these two poems, references to some other poems and the critical context, the article points to the different purposes that defi ne Fuertes's poetics. One important consequence of her use of parody and metapoetry was that she was able to include a message about the need for social change in her poetry without being overtly didactic. In doing so, she succeeded in reaching an audience where some of the other politically committed writers failed.