Matanzas Poetry at the Ibero-American Meeting of Trova and Poetry.
Leymen Pérez García, from Matanzas, reaffirms his place among the most established and mature poetic voices of contemporary Cuba and, as such, assumes the commitment to portray the truth with the universal language of poetry.
The poetry of Matanzas was heard in Mexico from November 18th to 22nd, when Leymen Pérez García attended as a guest the Ibero-American Meeting of Trova and Poetry, sponsored by the Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco, to celebrate its 67th anniversary.
Interviews, panels, book presentations, a poetry recital, and performances were some of the activities he participated in alongside the Cuban delegation, which also included writers Waldo Leyva, winner of the National Literature Prize, and Margarita Sánchez-Gallinal, and film director Alejandro Gil.
“It also included a panel discussion on publishing and poetry in Latin America and the presentation of the book *Inventar la vida* (Inventing Life), an anthology of Latin American poetry that I edited and which brings together poets from Ibero-America who participated in the most recent edition of the International Book Fair held at the university itself in March of this year.
“I’ve given several readings in various departments of the University where I’ve shared with Mexican, Argentinian, and Colombian poets. Reading to Mexican university students has been a truly moving experience; interacting with them has also allowed me to read my unpublished works and see how my writing is received.”
“At this year’s Festival, which brings together the best of Ibero-American poetry and folk music, six prominent figures in science and culture were awarded the Juchimán de Plata, the highest distinction bestowed by UJAT.”
A close relationship binds the poet, editor, and professor from Matanzas to Mexico, especially to the university, where he has also participated in editions of the International Book Fair held there.
“In 2023, I came to the International Book Fair for the first time, thanks to the poet Waldo Leyva, who included me, along with the poet Arístedes Vega Chapú from Villa Clara. I presented the Mexican edition of *Los países de la noche* (The Countries of the Night), which won the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz International Poetry Prize.
“In previous editions of this Mexican book fair, *Subsuelos* (Undergrounds) was presented, and this year the University published the first edition of *El sol de las derrotas* (The Sun of Defeats), which has also been published in the United States.”
This edition of the Ibero-American Meeting of Trova and Poetry also included artists from Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina. The vice president of the Matanzas Provincial Committee of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba highlighted the importance of bringing together diverse poetic voices with their visions, sensibilities, and perspectives on the human experience in the region.
“In this context, there are excellent voices from different currents and trends. It is very beneficial to exchange conceptions from different points of view on the poetic act.”
Since its founding, especially in recent years, the Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco, and particularly its rector, Guillermo Narváez Osorio, have dedicated a significant portion of their projects to promoting and consolidating art and literature in constant dialogue with science to enrich the humanistic education of future professionals.
The special attention that the institution dedicates to cultural development, particularly to poetry, speaks to the very high esteem of its managers and leaders for this form of literary expression, which is shared by the author of texts such as Colonial Currents, Fractures of Beauty and The Book of Heraclitus.
“I’ve had several experiences at International Book Fairs and Poetry Festivals, and there is indeed adoration and respect for poets around the world. The most significant experience occurred in 2012 at the Medellín Poetry Festival, where I had the privilege of reading to three thousand people.
“In other words, people have to travel specifically to hear poetry and to engage with the poets. I hope that will happen here someday because there we are witnessing a development on the level of sensitivity, on the intellectual level.
“We still have much work to do and much to accomplish within cultural institutions to be closer to poetry, because being closer to poetry means being closer to the humanism of knowledge.”
Pérez García draws on his extensive knowledge of human nature and subjects such as philosophy, psychology, and history, acquired through his abundant reading over the years, to explain the human essence through the construction of an era, through the everyday.
This will be reflected, as is typical of his writing, in the text *Anatomy of the Dead Class*, a literary project he has been working on for several months.
“I haven’t written anything for a few months, but I did finish a book entitled *Anatomy of the Dead Class*. Its main source is the play *The Dead Class* by the Polish playwright Tadeusz Kantor, who revolutionized the stage, especially by proposing the theater of death.
“It’s a book that follows some of the paths I’ve explored in previous works and expands upon them, not only structurally, but also in terms of its scope and themes.”
Leymen Pérez García, from Matanzas, reaffirms his place among the most established and mature poetic voices of contemporary Cuba and, as such, assumes the commitment to portray truth with the universal language of poetry.
Written by Jessica Mesa.
