Charenton

by Chus Pato

Chus Pato is the leading contemporary poet in Galicia. All of her work is written in the Galician language (Galego), but contrary perhaps to one's expectations of work written in what is a minority language, and one also long-repressed, her work is avant-garde, postmodern, and reflects the author's Marxist beliefs as well as her belief in the necessity of independence for Galicia. This is a radical poetry that, despite its remote origins and its concern with the local, can speak powerfully across borders and languages.

Genres: Poetry

Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

Licenciada en Xeografía e Historia pola Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (1973), fixo traballos de investigación na súa especialidade como O movimento obreiro na provincia de Ourense. Exerce como profesora de ensino secundario (Xeografía e Historia) no IES Ramón María Aller Ulloa de Lalín. Pertence a varias agrupacións tanto de índole literaria (o PEN Club) coma político-social (Redes Escarlata). Foi cabeza de lista da Frente Popular Galega pola provincia de Ourense en varias ocasións. Foi elixida académica de número da Real Academia Galega no pleno do 5 de novembro de 2016.[1]

Reviews

[Edita · Rating 3 out of 5]

are you madam a person who writes for other people?
no, i’m not a person who writes for other people
so, then, who do you write for?
i write because language imposes itself on me
as it does on others?
not as it does on all others, many others don’t produce
language
this obligation, is ita means of parturition?
no, it can simply be gallantry
it presents itself to you as an act of love?
more as a passion, as a building might offer itself, a moral act,
an ache, a pain
is its fondness returned?
insofar as my talent permits
you write, then, for everyone
for everyone, no, for some, for those who decide to accompany
me on the adventure
but exactly how does your affability win out?
the same way the Duke of Nemours prevailed before his love,
that is, with persistence: the most violent, least natural and
steeliest in the world

[Magdelanye · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those books that for some reason exert a thrill, and I was excited to discover it in the library. Alas, the style does not connect, and much of it seemed banal compared to the evocative
description on the back cover; for me the best part of the book.