This morning I received a copy of Francisca Aguirre’s Ithaca (BOA, Trans. Ana Osan). The work is a long poem consisting of lyrics that explore the fabled Ithaca (and the voyage towards it) from Penelope’s perspective. The long poem of individual lyrics is a common way in which poets have tried to bring the epic into the contemporary world. We have many instances of such a practice in Anglo and Latin America (just think about Neruda’s Canto general), but our works tends to focus on the political, while Aguirre’s work, with its Spanish perspective, refigures the lyric-epic with a specific focus on the interior landscape of a woman. For fans of Homer, it's a interesting read. For readers interested in how women and men work in literary relationships (Aguirre is Felix Grande's wife), the work is perhaps even more interesting.
On a side note, looking over these poems triggered my own memory. I remember waking up during a ferry ride and looking out at Ithaca (the modern one) sitting in sunshine.
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