Poetry, Bodies and the Shadow of Nation at the 2012 London Olympics

Abstract

Abstract This essay examines the poetic performances of Rocío Cerón, Melisa Machado and Lía Colombino at the Poetry Parnassus, a non-competitive cultural event planned as part of the 2012 London Olympics. They were chosen to represent Mexico, Uruguay and Paraguay, three of the Latin American nations that competed athletically at the 2012 event. After describing this competition, the essay goes on to explore the performative and communicative strategies used by each of these three poets and it does so by relying on the notion of poesía expandida. The final three sections contain an analysis of the brief selections each of the poets performed. Despite marked differences between these poets, the essay argues that they share an interest in dismantling postcolonial notions of subjectivity, and that they do so by highlighting the importance of the body in the performance of their poetry, and the importance of the prehistoric origins of their respective selves in their poetic imagery. Only Cerón addresses her relationship with her national heritage directly in the poem she chose to perform; but the other two poets’ marked preoccupation with their animal, pre-cultural bodies reveals a generalized uncertainty, or discomfort, towards the postcolonial histories they have inherited.