Taller de Escritura CreativaMaster ClassIn-Person
Wednesday, Mar 02, 2022
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
In partnership with Spitzer Enterprises at 416 Kent Avenue
Weighing Words
In this workshop we will deal with words’ specific weight, their value as objects of sound and the way they transform as vehicles of meaning depending on the context in which they are set. It’s a workshop on the mechanics of sound and meaning and a seminar on how to reach beauty with the raw material of words.
In the first part of the workshop we will deal with two true masters of language who lived on opposite sides of history. First the XVII century master Francisco de Quevedo and his most famous sonnet, “Cerrar podrá mi ojos la postrera.” Then we will visit the rewriting of it done by the underground, still underrated Argentinian genius Leónidas Lamborghini in the late 20th century. Then we will play with another Quevedo sonnet by ourselves.
In the second part of the workshop we will carefully read 2 more sonnets, this time of her majesty Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz — who needs no introduction. And we will play with writing one of our own.
The key word in both exercises is “play”, because if it was not fun to write it, it was not literature.
The workshop will be conducted in Spanish –Spanglish is always allowed.
El Peso de las Palabras
En esta sesión de taller vamos a trabajar con el peso específico de las palabras, su valor como objetos sonoros y la manera en que su significado se altera dependiendo del contexto en que las pongamos. Es un taller sobre la mecánica misteriosa de la belleza, sobre cómo la materia bruta de las palabras genera significado.
En la primera parte del taller vamos a trabajar con dos maestros del lenguaje. Primero Francisco de Quevedo y su soneto más célebre: “Cerrar podrá mis ojos la postrera.” Luego vamos a visitar la reescritura que el poeta maldito argentino Leónidas Lamorghini hizo de ese soneto a fines del siglo XX. Entonces vamos a jugar con otro soneto de Quevedo.
En la segunda parte del taller vamos a leer cuidadosamente dos sonetos de su majestad Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz – todo el mundo sabe quién fue. Y vamos a jugar a escribir uno nuestro.
La palabra clave en los dos ejercicios es “jugar”, porque si escribirlo no fue divertido, no era literatura.
El taller es en español –y, seamos realistas, un poquito en Spanglish.
Álvaro Enrigue
Álvaro Enrigue is the author of six novels and two collections of short stories. His novel Sudden Death, awarded the Herralde, Poniatowska, and Barcelona Prizes, was translated into English by Natasha Wimmer. Enrigue teaches literature at Hofstra University. His work as a critic has appeared in both the New York and London Review of Books and in The New York Times Book Review.