José María García Castro. PHOTO: Manuel Castells

The poetic Philosophy of Antonio Machado is the focus of José María García Castro's doctoral thesis , defended at the School Ecclesiastical Philosophy of the University of Navarra under the direction of Jaime Nubiola. "In Machado, the thinker and the poet cannot be separated. It is necessary to immerse oneself little by little in his thought in order to come to his poetic work with new lights", she explains.

In this sense, he emphasizes that the Andalusian creator "devoted many hours of his life to the study of Philosophy, of the great thinkers of history, in some of whom he found illuminating explanations for his poetic activity. If Machado's reflections on the art of poetics and his anthropological and theological meditations are carefully read, a philosophical richness will be discovered that allows for a greater understanding and enjoyment of his lyrical work".

Heritage of oral tradition

For the doctor of the Ecclesiastical School of Philosophy, "the emotional and timeless force of his poetry is not the result of chance. Machado knew what he was doing and why he was doing it. What in the first place was for him exclusively an activity internship, poetic creation, became a motive for speculative activity".

"This author -he adds- had a great interest in developing a dialogue staff and overcoming the contingent. His poetic speech is located where emotion runs sincerely from heart to heart and it is impossible not to feel involved".

Finally, Jose María Castro emphasizes that "his appreciation for the folkloric spirit, which he masterfully pours into the little proverbs and songs, makes Antonio Machado a peculiar poet, capable of composing verses that seem more born from the people and their traditions than from the hand of an author. He manages to make his written work cease to belong to him and become part of the heritage of oral tradition.