Interview/“causerie” with Le Cercle Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Quebec City at La Maison de la Littérature

Le Cercle Gabriel Garcia Marquez was founded 20 years ago by Victor H. Ramos (Columbia) to bridge Latino cultures with Quebec City artists, thinkers and writers. A few years ago Sebastián Ibarra Guttiérrez (Chile) arrived and joined Victor. Whether lecture or interview format, the evenings are most enjoyable.

Since this November evening was mainly in French I’m sending notes rather than sharing a script. However, if you would like a copy of the French excerpts, I’d be glad to share them.

The evening was one of warm solidarity, relevant and interesting exchange, and lovely receptivity for my poems and my path as a nomad! It was very moving to be so embraced in Quebec and a wonderful way to end my busy Fall of readings and performances.

To start the evening, I had suggested we begin with Lorca’s quote here, finding it very fitting for complex lives! So both Sebastián and I read it in the three languages.

Federico Garcia Lorca

—Je sais qu’il n’y a pas de voie franche en ce monde

Seulement un vaste labyrinthe fait de carrefours multiples

– –Comprendo que no existe el camino derecho

Solo un gran laberinto de encrucijadas múltiples

– – I know there is no straight road in this world

Only a giant labyrinth of intersecting crossroads

After Lorca’s words, Sebastiàn gave a beautiful intro and invited me to give some context on “my” South, the American Southwest.

If you’re interested, you’ll find my notes on that geographical, cultural, historical overview in the attachment below. Click to download it.

I concluded that overview by reading an excerpt from the chapter ‘Querencia‘ concerning las acequias in my book The Land: Our Gift and Wild Hope. (attachment below )

The response and questions that followed established early on a marvellous rapport with the keen audience.

The discussion then led to the question on how to stay whole with the 2-3 identities one might have. My answer involved first talking about the painting “Voice” that I had brought with me which brings together my two roots in the Southwest: the rock art – (I was archeological illustrator in the canyons much of the time) – and Spanish song. As you can see, Paco Ibanez’s lyrics, “Me queda la palabra,” found themselves into this painting. My answer also involved reading an excerpt from Chère Gabrielle, an essay-poem (in French) where I recount the making of the art installation of my “continent” in a Montreal gallery which brought both my North and South, and many hearts, together. Art (all art forms) is the answer!

More discussion of art mediums, lands, acequias and their role in our displaced cultures followed. So much so that we didn’t have time for my poem on the BORDERS, or detailed talk of PEN and Margaret Randall and Gioconda Belli roles in the revolution in Nicaragua, or of some NM authors which I had prepared. There’s an inspiring quote in English from Gioconda in the attachment that I would have used. Later I realized the Latino film series Sebastián puts on at the University deals a lot with similar questions.

Sebastián encouraged my telling a bit about my rapport with the exiled Argentinian intellectual in Aix-en Provence who were there at the same time I was while doing my masters in Aix (1980). I enjoyed clarifying that historical period for some of the younger audience.

A major love poem (in French) was part of that story, “Soleil, ciel bleu, noir du cinema, One Man Worth His Salt” It moved us all. There’s the love, but also the complex problems of geography and exile. It ends with my love free to return to Argentina, “sans exile.” (1981). Before reading it I had dedicated the poem to all those who find love in spite of their country’s oppression and their own displacement.

Time for the evening was running out so we moved beyond my personal frontiers to ending the hour and a half with 10 minutes of excerpts from my new poetry book, Steady. Against the Absurd. Kinship at the Core./ Sans relâche. Contre l’absurde. Corps et âmes with Sebastián reading the French, and myself the original English.