Primo Castrillo, a Poet of the Andes

Abstract

P RIMO CASTRILLO was born in the Andes of Bolivia, an enviro ment of towering heights and plunging depths, where the immensity and vastness challenge man's concept of his own strength. This is the Andean essence which lay within Castrillo when he came to the United States some forty years ago. The intervening years away from his native soil and a successful professional career as an architect amid the 20th century environment of New York have never erased the strong impact of the majestic Andes which molded and shaped his personality. Five books of poetry have come from this transplanted Bolivian: Valle y mundo, 1947; Hombre y tierra, 1958; Raiz y tiempo, 1960; Ciudad y selva, 1961; and Kantutas, 1963.1 The poetry is sprinkled with the most diverse forms, colors, and original beauty, taken from the divergent aspects of the poet's life, but always reflecting his essential Andean personality. The traditional systems of metrics and classic forms have found no place here. Apart from literary circles and isolated from the usual literary environments, Primo Castrillo has created a poetry of his own measure, ever acquiring surer mastery of his manner of expression.