The Bardo Group Beguines's avatarThe BeZine

WE SALUTE THE ARGENTINE POET and SOCIAL ACTIVIST, JUAN GELMAN, who died on the 14th in Mexico City where he moved after his exile and lived for the last twenty years.

A bird lived in me.
A flower traveled in my blood.
My heart was a violin.

Gelman was revered in Latin America and in Spain for his work against the junta of Argentina, his subject matter largely addressing injustice and oppression, but he was renowned the world over for his excellence and his ethic. He became a symbol of the “disappeared,” when he began a search for his granddaughter after his son and daughter-in-law were disappeared and killed. If you don’t know his story, you can read it HERE.

Shelley wrote that poets are the protectors of moral and civil laws, “the unacknowledged legislators of the world.” Gelman certainly wrote in just such a spirit.

Professor Ilan Stavens…

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4 Comments

    1. Kristen, pleased to have introduced you to a new-to-you poet and such a very fine one too. You can find some of his poems in English online and two of his books have been translated into English and – as far as I know – are available through Amazon. Wishing you much pleasure in your further explorations of heart-healing poetry.

      Warmest regards,
      Jamie

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Thank you!