Description
THE IMPOSSIBLE TRUTH
Book Summary
This volume gathers the complete poetic production of Pepe Espaliú, one of the most significant conceptual artists on the Spanish scene, during the final years of his life. The work includes both texts published during his lifetime and numerous unpublished pieces taken from his notebooks, offering a comprehensive view of his writing. The reader will find a poetic discourse that shifts between verse and prose, marked by reflections on identity, the body, and illness, in which the influences of Saint John of the Cross, Roberto Juarroz, and José Ángel Valente resonate.
What is it about?
Between 1987 and 1993, Pepe Espaliú placed poetic writing on the same level as his work in other artistic disciplines. In his poems, which alternate between very different forms such as free verse, fragmented syntax, and narratives with an intention to revise myths, he constructed a discourse around identity. This discourse develops within the context of art and AIDS, two fundamental axes of his biography and his creation. The book, edited by Jesús Alcaide, a curator and expert on the author's work, collects his published work from the book "En estos cinco años" as well as from magazines and catalogs, and incorporates unpublished texts taken from his notebooks, thus completing the artist's poetic corpus.
Main Themes
- Identity as a personal and artistic construction in the context of illness.
- The experience of AIDS and its impact on poetic and vital creation.
- The revision of classical and literary myths from a contemporary perspective.
- The relationship between poetic language and conceptual artistic practice.
- The influence of mysticism (Saint John of the Cross) and the poetry of thought (Juarroz, Valente).
Who is it recommended for?
It is aimed at readers interested in contemporary Spanish poetry, especially in the work of artists who move between disciplines. It will also be of great value to scholars of conceptual art, the literature of the eighties and nineties, and those seeking a profound reflection on identity, the body, and memory. It is an essential work for followers of Pepe Espaliú and for those who wish to discover the literary facet of one of the most unique creators of his generation.
What this book offers
- Access to the complete poetic work of Pepe Espaliú, including numerous unpublished texts.
- A comprehensive vision of his creative process, thanks to the inclusion of materials from his notebooks.
- The opportunity to explore the relationship between poetry, art, and life experience in a unique historical and personal context.
- A literary testimony of great emotional and reflective intensity regarding identity and illness.
- A rigorous edition curated by an expert on the author's work, which guarantees the quality of the collected material.
Technical Specifications
- Author: Pepe Espaliú
- Publisher: La Bella Varsovia
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: Poetry, Poetry by individual poets
- Collection: Non-series
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication date: December 2018
- Number of pages: 272
- Weight: 430 g
Editorial Assessment
This edition constitutes a fundamental contribution to the understanding of the work of Pepe Espaliú, an artist whose poetic production has remained in the background compared to his visual work. The meticulous compilation work of Jesús Alcaide allows the reader to access a coherent and revealing textual corpus, where poetry becomes a space of resistance and reflection. For the public interested in Spanish poetry of the late 20th century and in the intersections between art and literature, this book represents a unique opportunity to discover a poetic voice of great intensity and singularity.