Sermones y prédicas del Cristo de Elqui / Sermons and Homilies of the Christ of Elqui
Poetry , 1977
Ganymedes
ALTA Richard Wilbur prize for poetry
In an effort to transform poetry, Parra invented what he calls the "antipoem," which, he says, "returns poetry to its roots." He uses elements commonly considered ugly or antipoetic, ordinary objects and commonplace language, with a sardonic humor and an unexpected angle of vision. His work is comparable to that of the American Beat poets of the 1950s in its nonpoetic flat tone, direct statement, black humor, and violence, and he intends his poetry as an affront to society. At the same time, he works within a Chilean popular tradition, which gives his work a distinctly original flavor.