Description
Complete Poetry
Book Summary
This first volume of the Complete Poetry of José Lezama Lima brings together the fundamental works of his initial period, during which the Cuban author constructs his unique conception of poetry as a system of knowledge. The reader will find a selection that spans from his emblematic poem Death of Narcissus (1937) to Fixedness (1949), including Enemy Rumor and Stealthy Adventures. It is an opportunity to delve into the lyrical universe of one of the great poets of the Spanish language, whose images and metaphors challenge the limits of literary expression.
What is it about?
The work covers the first creative stage of José Lezama Lima, offering a complete vision of his poetic evolution. The volume opens with Death of Narcissus, an extensive poem that condenses his initial aesthetic proposal: a dialogue with the literary tradition (Góngora, Valéry, Garcilaso) to build a voice that is his own and authentic. Through the myth of Narcissus, Lezama explores the relationship of the poet with his image and language, crossing the mirror toward a new conception of literature.
This is followed by Enemy Rumor (1941), where water becomes a central element that symbolizes the desire for poetic knowledge, a longing that is frustrated by the inability to grasp the essence of poetry. In Stealthy Adventures (1945), the first signs of his poetic system appear, with an introduction titled "The Port" that captures the thematic nuclei of his work: the mother, the wife, the son, and women. Finally, Fixedness (1949) represents a decisive advance in his attempt to make poetry a system that reveals a new world, governed by the causality of poetic connections.
Main themes
- The construction of one's own poetic lineage through dialogue with classical and Baroque literary tradition.
- The myth of Narcissus as a metaphor for artistic creation and the poet's search for identity.
- Poetry as a system of knowledge and revelation of an alternative reality.
- The impossibility of capturing the poetic essence, represented by elements such as water.
- The central figures of personal experience: the mother, the wife, the son, and women as the engines of creation.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in 20th-century poetry in the Spanish language, especially those who seek to understand the work of one of its most complex and original authors. It is also recommended for scholars of Hispanic American literature, philology students, and anyone who wishes to explore the roots of the poetic universe of José Lezama Lima, a fundamental author of Cuban culture.
What this book provides
- Access to the early works of Lezama Lima, essential for understanding the evolution of his poetic system.
- An edition that brings together in a single volume key collections of poems such as Death of Narcissus, Enemy Rumor, Stealthy Adventures, and Fixedness.
- The opportunity to delve into poetry as a form of knowledge, beyond mere lyrical expression.
- An approach to the literary influences that marked Lezama's work (Góngora, Valéry, Garcilaso) and his personal reinterpretation.
- A vision of poetry as a system of connections that reveals a new and alternative world.
Technical specifications
- Author: Lezama Lima, José
- Publisher: Linkgua Ediciones
- Language: Spanish
- Topic: CLASSIC TEXTS
- Collection: POETRY
- Binding: Paperback
- Number of pages: 304
- Weight: 100 g
Editorial assessment
This edition of the Complete Poetry of José Lezama Lima is of great interest to those who wish to delve into the complexity of his lyrical universe without critical mediation imposing a single perspective. The selection of the first collections allows the reader to appreciate the gestation of his poetic system, from the Baroque influence to the construction of an unmistakable voice. An essential volume to complete the library of any lover of contemporary poetry in Spanish.