I'm not sure how widely read he is anymore, within or outside Spain, but anyone want to offer an opinion of his work? I look at that era and think he was to Spanish poetry and drama what jazz was to music--different, unfamiliar, alternately accessible and elusive, beautiful, boastful, and dangerous as only true art can be--a challenge to dare to look over the edge. His use of words and imagery offered liberation to writers (myself included) and nonwriters alike. Was his work consistently successful? Of course not; only by remaining within safe confines can a body of work be consistently anything, and then it isn't really art. And then in a twist of fate he might have fashioned for one of his own plays, his murder supplied the ultimate recognition of how powerful his voice had become. But to me, at least, that power has outlived even his murderers.

Lorca is iconic. Not only is he still read, but his work also has influenced music, the arts... and a whole generation of writers since. Lorca was able to tap the unconsious in ways that few poets do-- instict, symbol, childlike but yet very adult at the same time. His work with theatre/performance has also had a big impact on 20th c. art forms. It is great to hear that writers find Lorca of interest today!

I am currently reading "La Casa de Bernarda Alba." MAybe when I finish I could tap into your expertise to examine the text/play! It is testing my Spanish a little.

I feel like I need a dictionary of slang specific to each country when I read in Spanish. I was reading a book by a CHilean author a few months ago, and was bogged down by tons of expressions & references particular to them that I hadn't managed to learn in my two years there -same with Spanish authors, Peruvian (at least I can ask my Mom though, she usually knows those), Cuban, etc...



[This message has been edited by Nicole (edited 01-15-2001).]

Can't imagine my Spanish would be much help to you--I'm sure yours is better--but you're certainly right about the slang problem. My Spanish teacher (who is from Argentina) and I had quite a time with some of Vargas Llosa's language! Still, it could be interesting to have a sort of online reading group emerge out of this discussion, if enough people are interested--and you've chosen a thorny enough play to tackle!

Nicole, off topic: I'd love to talk with you about Chile--I haven't been yet, but I have friends there, follow Chilean news online and am absolutely in love with Alberto Plaza's music.

Bantam paperback dictionaries are really good with Latin American slang and idioms, but not for Spain slang.

Garcia Lorca was assigned reading in high school and university, and his plays are regularly performed in the Los Angeles area, at small and university theaters. Also, there was recently a movie about him, with Andy Garcia and Edward James Olmos. Shame it wasn't more widely viewed.

I was very excited to go to his childhood home in Granada and read his letters and sit in his garden.

I love Lorca, and Granada. In Spain at least, his poetry is probably better known now than ever, as numerous flamenco artists have made, and continue to make, songs from his writings. A while back in another thread I mentioned a 2-CD collection - Los Gitanos Cantan a F. G. Lorca - which I would recommend once again.

The standard biography of Lorca (even in Spain) seems to be that of Ian Gibson, originally written in Spanish (I believe Gibson is Irish, but lives in Andalucia). It is very detailed, where details are available, and very good on his relationship with Dali and Bunuel (these are other Gibson specialisms).

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Lorca is that his work is profoundly Andalusian, and he himself remained deeply attached to this culture, and to Granada (a "marica" in the land of machismo). Yet his work has attained the status of "international" literature. This contrasts with Picasso, who seemed to need to escape from Spain (while remaining a "macho").

aphra, I will email you this week end. I would be happy to talk about Chile/ South America.

I was deeply moved by the film-Disappearance of Garcia Lorca/ Death in Granada (1997) with Andy Garcia.It's now available on video.I saw him being interviewed and he got really emotional not only about Lorca but about Raul Julia who had actually wanted to play Lorca but died so suddenly.

That movie was incredible, particularly Andy Garcia's performance. The image of him in those final scenes--"Where is my moon? Where is my moon?"--is burned into my brain, and I still get chills just thinking about it. I'm really looking forward to visiting Garcia Lorca's home in Granada (now a museum) when I get to Spain this fall. There's a Web site (Spanish only) for those who are interested: www.huertagarcialorca.org/html/portada.htm . There's also a Garcia Lorca Fundacion in Granada, also with a Web site (this one in Spanish and English: www.garcia-lorca.org .

[This message has been edited by MadridMan (edited 01-20-2001).]

Over the weekend I saw information on Fodors.com about a British guy named Simon Andrewes who gives Lorca-related tours. I contacted him and received this reply by email:

"The most popular tour I do is the one that takes you out to Lorca's birthplace in Fuente Vaqueros and visits various other places on the Vega, including the House of Bernarda Alba. It's also the one I like doing most. I also take people out to Viznar where he was shot. I understand that for people who love Lorca this is a very emotional tour, but I find it a little morbid now, having done it so many times."

You can contact him at simo@arrakis.es, but be warned: his PC seems to be infected with a virus at the moment. If you do write to him and along with a regular text reply without attachments you also get a second reply with no text and an attachment labeled I_am_sorry.DOC.pif, DO NOT OPEN IT! It is a virus. My anti-virus SW identified it, so my PC was spared, and remember that no harm will come to your PC as long as you don't open the attachment. Just don't forget!

[This message has been edited by aphra (edited 01-22-2001).]

Spanish and Latinamerican writers don't use really so much slang, they just use different synonyms for the same thing, and all those words are acepted by the Real Academia, which is common for all the countries where Spanish is the oficial language, their page is http://www.rae.es and they have a dictionary http://www.rae.es/NIVEL1/buscon/AUTORIDAD2.HTM,
Be sure to select the actual dictionary 1992, or you won't find almost anything

I forgot to thank Boqueron about the Lorca CD, I'll look for it.
There is also a CD of Enrique Morente called Lorca and the most innovating one is Morente + Lagartija Nick singing Leonard Cohen songs with some Lorca words.

Actually, the chilean book I was reading did use quite a bit of slang. Typically though, it is the expressions used in a place and jokes that are essentially cultural references that are the most difficult to pick up on, unless you really know a place.

As much as I enjoy Vargas Llosa, he is difficult to read in English. He has an incredible vocabulary, good for getting ready for that GRE. In Spanish though, he makes tons of references I would completely miss if I hadn't "inherited" some of my mother's books (she and my Dad lived for several years in the region of Peru he frequently writes about ) with lots of little notes written in the margins - explanations of phrases and words that her Peruvian friends explained.

I did a little research on the Gitanos Cantan Lorca album and found that it is put out by Mercury Records. Hopefully that'll help anyone looking for it.