'A Poetry Fiesta' - Interview on Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Listen to Dany Mitzman's report here or read an abridged version below.
Mexico is a nation that stirs up images of tequila, siestas and sombreros, but for those Europeans hoping to expand and refine their knowledge of the region, the Mexican Poets' Tour provides a perfect opportunity.
For individuals looking to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution, checking out the Mexican Poets' Tour is one option that will stir up some arribas! Making its way across the UK, the tour will feature the best of Mexico's Spanish and non-Spanish literary traditions.
The Mexican Poets' Tour will give those in Europe an opportunity to discover the highlights of a literary world that has been active since the 16th century.
The tour boasts two of Mexico's leading Spanish-language poets: Coral Bracho and David Huerta. Joining them is Victor Teràn, a poet who writes and performs in Isthmus Zapotec, one of the country's many indigenous languages.
Poet-translators will work with the three Mexican wordsmiths to provide English versions of the poems alongside the originals.
A professor of literature by day and poet by night, David Huerta explains that ironically the literary traditions brought over to the New World by the Spanish have been better preserved in Mexico than in their European homeland. "Maybe there are not a lot of traces of Middle Ages in Spain, if you want to find them you have to go places likes Mexico, where they have been kept alive," he says.
The tour - organised by the Poetry Translation Centre - hopes to bring Mexico's little-known poetic heritage and culture rich in oral traditions to life for the British public.
The event will be running until 1 May. Its finale will be at the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh where Coral Bracho, David Huerta and Víctor Terán will read alongside their poet-translators: Katherine Pierpoint, Jamie McKendrick and David Shook.
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