The nonconformist feeling instilled
by the poems from Claveles de la calle repeats in the personal outlook of Jorge Remacha Pina (Zaragoza, 1996): the poet
opens up in this revealing, gratifying conversation about social poetry, the new
generation, the power of religion or the ideal society, among other topics.
SPANISH GAY FICTION: Claveles de
la calle is your first published book. How did you make it possible?
JORGE REMACHA PINA: Well, I
sent the manuscript to a round of publishers specialized in poetry. Just like
sending resumes: you see options, you apply for the ones that seem OK for you,
and then you wait until they get in touch. Eventually, the publishing house Libros
Indie did: they took charge of layout, printing, and more — and here is the
book.
SGF: What influences your writing style?
JRP: It depends on the poems. The
ones in the book are a selection of those that I have been writing over the
years. For instance, some may sound similar to the Beat Generation because I like
Allen Ginsberg much. Then others occurred to me rather reading or listening to
other social poets, such as Gioconda Belli, Pedro Lemebel, or Gata Cattana.[1]
Other ideas came to my mind by reading science fiction. I think there is a
little bit of everything.
SGF: Except for the rhyming poem “MENAs,”[2] no
other classical feature can be found in your work. Why did you break away from
tradition?
JRP: I think that this is the
only rhyming poem because it rhymed while I was creating it, so I tried to keep
it that way. The rest do not rhyme as it is not an issue that I care about when
writing. For example, I care more about words symbolizing ideas, whether they
exist or not. If in my mind I see the images of what I am writing, then even
more ideas come … so I keep writing. In the middle of it all, I do not have a
head for rhyming.
SGF: The acknowledgement section says that you were picked up “from the
darkest alleys of the mind.” What did you mean?
JRP: On the one hand, some
poems in the book exist because they helped bring out what is in my mind on a
bad streak. On the other hand, I think it is not something that individual: I
speak from the youth, working class, sexual diversity perspective. Of course I
am talking about difficult psychological situations, because not only have they
happened to me, but more people may see themselves in them. This was one of the
reasons why I decided to publish the book. Everyone can have a bad time, but if
my book — which I wrote to feel better — can help someone feel identified and
gather inner strength, then its publication will make sense.
SGF: Your poems encourage to social nonconformity. Is this your own
philosophy?
JRP: This is not my philosophy: there is a whole
tradition of culture from below and the margins, self-affirming, and linked to
ideas that speak in terms of emancipation. I have invented nothing. What lies behind the ideas expressed in this book is a
mix of work, study, organization, second-hand books and my condition of being
as queer as a three-dollar bill.
SGF: You are under 30. What is your
idea of a dream society?
JRP: My dream society does not
have social classes or endure oppression: a very old idea that seems to be a
kind of trendy again among young people. You can see it in the demonstrations
around the world that have erupted in this crisis, in which there are many
people my age. My generation is leaving one crisis and entering another.
However, I think that pessimism is the last thing that we need, as it is a
burden. We are not victims all the time: we can hold on and fight, as it has
usually been, so as to always move forward.
SGF: The dull, mediocre reality portrayed in your book is distinctly urban.
Do you think that the situation is different in the countryside?
JRP: I speak of the urban world
because it is the one I know: I cannot speak of the countryside as I have never
lived in a village. I did not write a book like this to say that reality is dull
and mediocre, or the world is all peaches and cream: it says that our strength comes
from a grey world to paint it pink. The book is called Claveles de la calle because I live next to the backside of a
flower shop where at night they throw away what remained unsold: my house has
been filled with flowers many times. And all this looked like a symbol to me:
they will throw you away if you are not profitable, but you are a flower anyway.
SGF: The book mentions several revolutionary movements throughout
history. How inspiring are they to you?
JRP: The ones named in the
book are the stories that I have known, and they show that there have been
generations daring to try to take control of their own lives. But I like the
extras more than the protagonists. I am much more interested in these people —
who are nameless in the books — taking to the streets and changing their lives
rather than those who lead the revolutions. And also all the tireless efforts
before something breaks out, so that it can be a success. Thus, instead of
thinking whether I would have liked to live this or that revolution in the past,
I would rather know what I am doing
if I see something like this happening in the present or future.
SGF: In terms of non-conformist spirit, do you feel that any past time
was better?
JRP: I am 23: I do not want to
be nostalgic for times past. If there is alienation, I also do not want to
blame it to the people or society. This is something that I want
the book to show, and I am not sure if I have succeeded: the idea that the vast
majority of ordinary people who want a decent and peaceful life have the
feeling that they are worth more than what they receive. In addition, you never
know what might happen.
SGF: How important is the LGBT community in the fight for a better
society?
JRP: Someone has to add glitter
to this better society.
SGF: The first lines of the poem “Inapropiadas” come from Mecano’s song
“Mujer contra mujer.”[3] What
is your opinion about this song?
JRP: This is a song to sing
the emotionally charged, flamboyantly camp way. And I think that this is very
important, because true hymns are to bring out what is buried putting your
hands up. In addition, the truth is that there has been a history of invisibility
regarding women who love women. As if they were in not only the closet, but a
box at the back of the closet — though a music box.
SGF: How autobiographical is the poem “No sé si queda claro”?
JRP: It may be an
autobiographical poem, but not just mine.
It is produced with words that you hear because of who you are: they are
sometimes more hurtful, at other times more common sense. And I am not the only
one who has heard them. I wrote this poem to cheer up even if they are
discriminating against you: to get your claws out and regain your lust for
life.
SGF: There are numerous symbols and expressions associated with
Christianity throughout the book—
JRP: If you attend a convent
school you become atheistic in the end, though an absurdly huge list of
religious hymns remain in your head. In the book they symbolize the commands
from my childhood and how hard it is getting rid of them, as well as a sense of
fault, fault, the most grievous fault for things that you are not guilty of. I
have studied more religions, and I believe they are something to keep away from
all kinds of power over anyone.
SGF: The name “Rockland” appears a couple of times in the book. Why?
JRP: Yes, it is a nod to
Ginsberg’s “Howl;” the name is there. Rockland is the asylum where he is sent
for sexual deviation, and the way he
uses it in his poems echoes inside you. That is why it is in my book: as a
non-literal symbol, but a symbol of the places you leave behind when overcoming
the danger of disappearing.
SGF: Can you tell about your upcoming projects?
JRP: Now I am promoting this
book because, right after it was launched, a pandemic began: I could expect every
kind of problems but this. I am also promoting a board game about the labor
movement called ¡A la huelga! (“On
Strike!”), which was already in stores — and the same thing happened. I picked
the best time to launch everything … Meanwhile, I am looking for a job, as well
as writing another book and creating another board game for next year: these two
will be historical this time.
[1]
Stage name of Ana Isabel García Llorente (1991-2017). Although she was popularly known as a hip hop singer —
a discipline which she put her feminist, politically committed stamp on —, she
also published in 2016 her only
poetry book: La escala de Mohs (“The Mohs Scale”).
[2]
MENAs = Menores
Extranjeros No Acompañados (“Foreign
Unaccompanied Minors”). With a significant presence in Spain — and mainly of African origin —, this is another social issue that Remacha
Pina points to in his work: children and teens, all alone, at serious risk of social exclusion and
neglect.
[3]
Mecano has been one of the most successful Spanish pop bands of all
time. The song “Mujer contra mujer” (“Woman Against Woman”), released
in 1988, became
a breakthrough at the time since it deals with lesbianism, rarely tackled in music up until then. Today, this hit remains as an iconic
hymn for the Spanish LGBT
community.
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