The poet Leymen Perez in Mexico.
With the presence of Cuban poet Leymen Perez, winner of the Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz 2022 International Poetry Prize along with Panama’s Javier Alvarado, the edition corresponding to this year’s contest was held in Mexico.
The writer from Matanzas was invited for the launching of his award-winning book Los países de la noche, a 70-page book of poems that exposes for its singularity one of the Cuban lyricists of more projection and scope in recent years. In that edition, 320 titles by authors from some 20 countries competed and the book Un trueno sobre el Baru, by Alvarado, was also chosen.
Chilean poet Raul Zurita, who received the Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz 2023 Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement in Poetry and Recognition of Artistic and Humanistic Excellence, made a special contribution to this year’s festival.
It was also significant that Leymen Pérez was the editor of the poetic anthology Tres veces tu sombra, by Zurita, published by the publishing house El arco y la flecha, which was promoted at the Casa Marie José and Octavio Paz, in Mexico City, as well as the words of the eminent intellectual at the presentation of the book by the poet from Yumurino.
Last minute, in online contact with Leymen, we learned that he is now in Villahermosa, Tabasco, invited to the 65th Anniversary Celebrations of the Universidad Autónoma Juárez in that city, where he will be giving poetry readings and presenting his book Los países de la noche (The Countries of the Night).
WRITER’S NOTES
Leymen Pérez García was born on July the 29th, 1976. He is editor of poetry in the Letras Cubanas label. He has a Master’s degree in Social and Community Studies and is president of the Writers’ Association of the UNEAC in Matanzas.
He has a vast work with more than a dozen notebooks, including Números del escombro, Pared con grabado de Pollock, Circo artesanal, Los altos reinos, Hendiduras, El libro de Heráclito and Fatigas del trópico.
The most recent are Fracturas de la belleza (2018) and Subsuelos (2019), to which is added the one now published in Mexico.
His awards in Cuba include the José María Heredia, Hermanos Loynaz, Calendario, La Gaceta de Cuba, Ciudad del Che, Fundación de la Ciudad de Matanzas, Cauce, Milanés. One of his most published poems is entitled:
Soleada cáscara
Cuba, soleada cáscara.
En una semilla rompiéndose
por dentro vivimos, hilando
el dolor de los gajos
con el dolor de los frutos
dormidos, sin sueños ni paisajes
que abracen a los restos.
Cuba, hay otro mundo mejor.
Separado del cuerpo
comienzas a comprenderlo.
Separado del cuerpo
no hay tejidos enfermos,
no hay átomos asfixiados
de tanto impulso,
auras, espigas, hebras,
agujeros negros que
te hayan creado.
Nada hay que trasmutar.
Somos parte del vacío
al mismo tiempo que
somos parte del todo
como ciegas olas que trae
el silencio hasta el interior
de un falso paraíso.
¿Somos energía y vibración
o sepultura de imágenes?
Cuba, soleada cáscara.
Cerrada con la voz del bosque
que vibra dentro de cada semilla,
cerrada como una lenta raíz
que no siente al tallo contraerse.
Written by María Elena Bayón.
