Rare Latin American Surrealism

Defensa de la poesia (Tres conferencias leidas en la universidad de Chile, el 7 de junio de 1939) [with] Defensa de la Mandragora

Arenas, Braulio, Teofilo Cid and Enrique Gomez [-Correa]

Notes: [12] pages. Quarto (7.25" x 10") pamphlet with the single sheet, "Defensa de la Mandragora" laid in.

A key document in the Chilean surrealist movement and of Latin American poetry. The three main Latin American surrealist writers—el grupo de la Mandragora—lay out their positions on poetry and politics, aligning themselves with Andre Breton and Salvador Dali in Europe and Vicente Huidobro of Chile. The three lectures are "Problemas del intelectual frente a los falso intelectuales" by Gomez (later Gomez-Correa), "Defensa de la poesia" by Arenas, and "Poesia, revolucion" by Cid. They accuse Pablo Neruda of plagiarizing the Indian Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, the Uruguayan Carlos Sabat Ercasty, and "other American mediocrities (otros mediocridades americanas)." Neruda is also charged with betraying poetry in order to enjoy the fruits of official approval. The Argentinean Raul Gonzalez Tunon is fervently denounced as a false surrealist.

Laid into this copy is a single sheet, "Defensa de la Mandragora" [(N.-pl): (Dirección General de Prisiones – Imp.), (n.d. but 1939)]. This rare broadside describes the circumstances under which the "tres conferencias" were given. Arenas, Cid, and Gomez were responding to a speech given by Gonzalez Tunon on May 30. Their presentation, however, was broken up by La Alianza de Intelectuales who attended the lecture in mass ("en masa").

The writers explain their purpose, "No, this is not a defense of La Mandragora. This is the Mandragora's (mandragora) attack on those that attempt to obstruct the birth of poetry in this country. This is one of its most necessary, most urgent, most pure, and most definitive attacks." ("No, esta no es una defensa de la Mandrágora. Este es el ataque de la Mandragora contra los que pretendan obstruir el nacimiento de la poesaa en este pais. Este es uno de sus ataques mas necesarios, mas urgentes, mas puros y mas definitivos.")

Both items are rare. OCLC locates two copies of "Defensa de la poesia" (University of Pittsburgh and the London Library) and no copies of "Defensa de la Mandragora."

Edition + Condition: First editions. Near fine; the pages are lightly tanned from acid content. "Defensa de la Mandrágora" is chipped along the edges.

Publication: Santiago de Chile: Ediciones Mandrágora, 1939.

Item No: #490

Price: $500