By SAFIYA MOHAMED
If you’re searching for poetry that transcends borders and speaks to the heart of the human condition, Permanent Work: Poems 1981–1992 by Gabriel Trujillo Muñoz is a must-read. This remarkable collection celebrates Muñoz’s Mexicali heritage while offering universal insights into life’s triumphs, struggles, and mysteries. This collection includes Perceptions (1983), Death Trap (1987), Behind the Mirage (1989), Mandrágora (1989), Glimpses (1991), and In Plain Light (1992), all translated by Dr. Gustavo V. Segade, Robert L. Jones, and Patricia L. Irby.
 |
| Permanent Work: 1981-1992 |
“In the poems that constitute this collection, just such a quest is present. From the animistic texts that honor nature to the poems that recreate the histories of the world, its characters, and its conflicts, the reader can see my eagerness to doubt myself as a contemporary of my contemporaries, to be a sorcerer's apprentice who, as Vicente Huidobro would say, ‘…has planted the tree he had in his eyes and contemplates the world from there, speaking to you and telling you the secrets of the universe.’” — Muñoz
These poems honor nature, explore cultural histories, and reflect on human experiences with profound honesty and imagination. Muñoz describes his poetry as a practice of staging the experiences that make up the human condition: triumphs and defeats, dreams and struggles, joys and pains. For Muñoz, poetry is a "footprint," representing the diverse transformations and stories of human life. His work explores Mexican culture and the border communities that shaped him, placing his poetry metaphorically "on the border" not only in its themes but also in its openness and inclusivity.
 |
| Gabriel Trujillo Muñoz for Suburbano |
In the words of Humberto Felix Berumen, Muñoz is “one of the most prolific, versatile, and consistent writers of his generation. To his diversity of genres, we must add the diversity of themes he touches upon: criticism of painting in Baja California, science fiction tales, motion picture critiques, poetic reflections on the meaning of life and death, literary history of Baja California, cultural criticism, video, and dance scripts.”
ISBN 1-879691-13-2
Paper / Pages: 96 / $14.95
1993
No comments:
Post a Comment