Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about
Celebrating Ramón López Velarde
Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Mexico-based guest artist Ale De la Torre, celebrates famous Mexican poet Ramón López Velarde. López Velarde is recognized as the father of Modern Mexican poetry and the national poet of Mexico for his French-influenced, postmodern work and style. On this day in 1917, the magazine that Ramón co-founded, Pegaso, ran its very last issue in Mexico.
López Velarde was born on June 15, 1888 in Jerez, Zacatecas. Following in the footsteps of his father, he studied law at the University of San Luis Potosí and started reading modernist poetry while at school. Despite receiving his law degree in 1911, his career was pulled in a different direction. He was invited to write for La Nación, a monthly publication in Mexico City.
In 1915, he began writing more personal poems, mostly about the nostalgia he felt about his hometown. A year later, López Velarde published his first book titled La Sangre Devota (The Pious Blood), which explores the differences between life in the bustling city and the quiet countryside. It was fairly celebrated by the Mexican literary community and opened the door to more poetic opportunities.
His most famous work, Zozobra, was published in 1919. The book is heavily ironic and captures the duality of several aspects of López Velarde’s life. The writing is praised for its unpredictability, unorthodox language, word games, and humorous rhymes. In 1920, after a turning point in Mexico’s government, he started writing for two journals named México Moderno and El Maestro. His most famous work, La suave patria, was part of the latter and cemented him as the country’s national poet.
Happy birthday, Ramón López Velarde and as always have a chilled day from the Viking
Comments
Post a Comment