Syntactically Silent Subjects: Luis Muñoz and the Poetry of Ellipsis

Abstract

Luis Munoz (1966) is one of contemporary Spain’s most salient poets. His work has been described as demonstrating a discourse of ellipsis; yet no study has examined in detail his masterful use of syntactic and figurative omission. In fact, even though Munoz’s published collections to date span two centuries, no single study has been devoted to his decidedly innovative expressivity. His work has been commented on in various panoramic essays considering contemporary poetry published in Spain at this temporal intersection and a number of his poems have been gathered into noteworthy anthologies of this same era. His poetry has been nominated for prestigious awards in Spain and in 2001 Correspondencias ‘Correspondences’ received the fourth Premio Internacional de Poesia del 27 as well as the Premio de Ojo Critico de Poesia. The present study examines Munoz’s most recent Querido silencio (2006) ‘Dear Silence’ where ellipsis figures prominently as the poet maximizes and exploits conceptual and linguistic efficiency. In one exemplary poem, “Dejar la poesia” ‘Leave Poetry,’ two syntactically silent subjects engage in an innovative conversation concerning the nature of poetry. At the same time this intriguing dialogue also offers a unique response to the essential question framing this poem and the collection as a whole: Why is poetry an addiction? This article is available in Studies in 20th & 21st Century Literature: http://newprairiepress.org/sttcl/vol36/iss2/10 Syntactically Silent Subjects: Luis Munoz and Poetry of Ellipsis Judith Nantell University of Arizona “Los que leen la poesia la necesitan como drogadictos.” ‘Those who read poetry need it like drug addicts.’ —Francisco Brines1 At the intersection of two centuries, Luis Munoz (1966) is one of contemporary Spain’s most salient poets. A number of critics have commented on Munoz’s poetry, characterizing it as “minimalist” (Mainer 36) and “measured” (Morales Barba 44). They note his style to be “pure” (Diaz de Castro), “refined,” “atomized” (Morales Barba 44) and “condensed” (Sanchez-Mesa Martinez 48). In his “poetry of ellipsis and metonymy” (Morales Barba 41) this poet seeks to explore “intellectual enigmas” (Mainer 36). His poems have been anthologized in a number of major turn-of-the-century collections, most notably those presented by Luis Antonio de Villena (1997; 2003; 2010), Rafael Morales Barba (2006) and Domingo Sanchez-Mesa (2007). Most recently, at the turn of the decade, Villena observes that it is in Correspondencias (2001) ‘Correspondences’ and Querido silencio (2006) ‘Dear Silence’ where Munoz “has found his voice” (La inteligencia 11). Significantly, Correspondencias received two prestigious awards in Spain in 2001: the fourth Premio Internacional de Poesia del 27 ‘Generation of 1927 International Poetry Prize’ and the Premio de Ojo Critico de Poesia ‘The Critic’s Choice Award in Poetry.’ Nevertheless, no study has examined his poetry in any detail and the present work will address this matter. Munoz’s most recent poetry demonstrates conceptual and linguistic efficiency due, in part, to his mastery of syntactic omission. Ellipsis figures prominently in this 2006 collection. In one exemplary poem, “Dejar la poesia” (93) ‘Leave Poetry,’ two syntactically silent characters engage in a conceptually efficient conversation concerning the 1 Nantell: Syntactically Silent Subjects: Luis Munoz and the Poetry of Ellip Published by New Prairie Press