Description
The Sleeping City
Book Summary
Recipient of the 2004 Adonáis Prize runner-up award, The Sleeping City is a collection of poems that offers a profound moral reflection on existence. Through a restrained and precise lyrical voice, the author invites us to an exercise in purification and self-knowledge, exploring the nooks and crannies of consciousness and memory in an urban setting that seems suspended in time. A work that transcends the merely aesthetic to delve into the essential questions of the human being.
What is it about?
The poetry collection is structured around the metaphor of a city lying in silence, a dreamlike yet real space where the poet examines the human condition. Far from being a simple landscape, this city is the stage for a moral inquiry. Each poem functions as a station on an inner journey, a process of purification where guilt, hope, loss, and the search for meaning are confronted. The work does not limit itself to description, but proposes a critical and serene look at life, inviting the reader to participate in that same exercise of introspection and spiritual cleansing.
Main Themes
- Moral consciousness and the examination of one's own existence.
- The search for purification and meaning in an everyday world.
- Memory, forgetting, and the passage of time as elements that shape identity.
- Loneliness and silence as spaces for deep reflection.
- The city as a symbol of the soul and the contemporary human condition.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers of contemporary poetry who are looking for a work of philosophical and existential depth. It is especially suitable for those who appreciate reflective lyricism, devoid of sensationalism, and who find in poetry a vehicle for personal meditation. It will also be of great interest to students and scholars of recent Spanish poetry, as well as to followers of the Adonais collection and the poets who have been recognized with this prestigious award.
What this book offers
- A lyrical experience that invites introspection and personal questioning.
- An example of high-quality poetry in terms of form and thematic depth, endorsed by a benchmark award.
- A concise yet dense work that rewards rereading and unhurried reflection.
- A moral perspective that does not indoctrinate, but rather suggests and opens paths of thought.
Technical Specifications
- Author: Jesús Beades
- Publisher: Ediciones Rialp, S.A.
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: Individual poets' poetry
- Collection: Poesía. Adonais
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication Date: Not specified
- Number of pages: 56
- Weight: 80 g
Editorial Assessment
The Sleeping City presents itself as a solid proposal within contemporary poetry, standing out for its ability to combine formal excellence with a deep moral inquiry. The recognition of the Adonáis Prize endorses its quality, while its brevity (56 pages) makes it an intense and accessible read. It is a work that will interest those who seek in poetry not only beauty, but also a mirror in which to confront the fundamental questions of life, offering a literary experience that endures beyond its reading.