Concha Méndez
A poet, playwright, and editor, her career was marked by her independence and modernity. Her work brings together a zest for life, the pursuit of freedom, love, travel, and the desire to excel staff.
His early books reflect the influence of the avant-garde, with a dynamic style that celebrates movement, sports, and modernity. After the Civil War and his exile, his poetry took on a more intimate and reflective tone, focusing on nostalgia, rootlessness, and the “ report.”
"Concha Méndez lives the life of a male writer. She goes to literary gatherings, cafés, and so on. (…) She writes poetry as naturally as she plays tennis or wins swimming championships. Her family has forbidden her from writing, and because of that, she wants to leave the country; she’ll probably go to London."
(From Ernestina de Champourcin to Carmen Conde, September 11, 1928)
CAR
Car
A chorus of car horns.
A glowworm on the gloomy street.
Eyes glistening in the cold night.
A city reptile gliding swiftly by.
(Concerns, 1926)
THE SEA IS WIDE
The sea is vast; it will separate us;
yet our souls will remain bound together.
Like a final portrait, in our eyes
our gazes will be etched forever.
The ship on which I must sail lies in the harbor;
it will be followed by another on which you will sail.
My arms will wait for you, I don’t know where…
perhaps in some harbor… on a beach…!
(Poems 1926–1986)