Multisensory Symphony: Report of Néstor Ponce’s Boy says (Vos es)
Translated by Max Ubelaker Andrade, 2024, Uitgeverij
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1Néstor Ponce (b. 1955) has released his most recent poetry collection, Boy Says, in 2024. This remarkable collection is a masterful fusion of poems, memories, and sounds, resonating like a vibrant polyphonic symphony performed by different poets and writers polyphony—a multicultural symphony that evokes depth and diversity. As translator, Max Ubelaker Andrade, says, “Reading carefully, one can hear echoes across their pages: images and scents that repeat and connect, reminding us of the reader–writer” (Ponce, 2024, p. 7).
2In this collection, Ponce seems to attend a magical masquerade ball, dancing alongside poets and writers from across the ages—from the 6th century BC to the 21st century. At times, he follows Louis Aragon, navigating through the mint and honey pupils of his lady, as he “intrepidly sailed forward/ through hurricanes and whirlwinds/ awakening on a crest of sea foam/ with the captain’s sword” (Ponce, 2024, p. 47). At other moments, Ponce delves into the stream of consciousness of Milada Soucková: “Dawn in Prague/ turns/ cracks/ crumbles/ in the laziness of gray crests/ and the slow peaks of snow/ It runs through train track blades/ in the cobblestones of the old quarter/ and rushes toward the Moldova” (Ponce, 2024, p. 81). At yet other points, he dances with John Keats, marveling at how “his fingers trill/ his fingers are filled with birdsong/ the fingers refill/ with nightingales/ that speak Spanish/ Italian or Guaraní” (Ponce, 2024, p. 63). Ponce also seeks to amplify the voices of those marginalized or forgotten by history, bringing them to the center of his poetic symphony. For instance, he invites Florencia Pinar, one of the few female Castilian poets of the 15th century, into his work. In his poem, the once-caged bird of her verse finds freedom, soaring without fear of captivity: “The land of the birds is the sky/ or rather/ an oath/ of witchcraft and air”(Ponce, 2024, p. 19).
3Throughout Boy Says, Ponce reimagines the histories of Spain, Argentina, and Catalonia, as well as themes of religion, faith, love, and desire, through the heteroglot lenses of various writers. Yet, in each fragment, his own voice emerges, reflected in the poetry’s rich imagery. Readers familiar with history will discern the vast historical metaphors woven into Ponce’s delicate, seemingly effortless verses. His work mirrors Bakhtin’s concept of polyphony, creating a carnival of poetry and literary history. It also evokes the “rhizome” structure of Deleuze and Guattari’s Mille Plateaux (1980), emphasizing the coexistence of heterogeneous spaces and breaking down hierarchical barriers between voices.
4Furthermore, Ponce strives to move beyond ocularcentrism, crafting a cultural chronicle that engages multiple senses. He encourages readers to perceive and feel history through all their faculties. For instance, he draws attention to the often-overlooked voices of memory and history: “The sigh raced/ held tight in the cry of your mouth” (Ponce, 2024, p. 31), and “horses kick/ bastard cobblestones/ They become quiet/ Death makes off with processions/ voices full of instants” (Ponce, 2024, p. 51). He invokes the sensory experience of darkness and melancholy: “I reached out to the darkness/ waiting for its lights/ and the willow of your melancholy” (Ponce, 2024, p. 55). Similarly, he invites readers to notice the smell of breath and feel the moisture rising from the earth: “smell the breath that blows/ the vapors of the earth” (Ponce, 2024, p. 27). These multi-sensory elements contribute to shaping our historical memories, akin to the experience of holographic projections.
5This collection is an indispensable resource for poetry lovers and scholars, particularly those interested in Spanish poetry. However, Boy Says transcends a mere collection of poems; it is a multi-sensory cultural history and a miniature chronicle of poetry and literature. With his profound knowledge of poetry, literature, and Latin American history, Ponce has crafted a cultural index. The book is presented in a bilingual Spanish-English edition, featuring the smooth and elegant English translation by Max Ubelaker Andrade, offering accessibility to English-speaking readers.
6In short, this collection invites readers to immerse themselves in a polyphony of voices and sensations. It encourages a journey through the history of literature and poetry, where one may rediscover the past and find their own voice within it.
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Référence électronique
Keni Li, « Multisensory Symphony: Report of Néstor Ponce’s Boy says (Vos es) », Amerika [En ligne], 29 | 2024, mis en ligne le 20 décembre 2024, consulté le 23 janvier 2026. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/amerika/20128 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/13311
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