On Sept. 6, 1973, Enrique Ver谩stegui, a young Peruvian poet, sat down to write a letter to professor Wolfgang Luchting, a man on another continent. Although already published, Ver谩stegui sought the recognition that someone in Luchting鈥檚 position could provide.
Over 50 years later, his ambitions may finally be realized through new research led by professor Carlos Villacorta at the University of 海角社区.
Villacorta, who teaches Spanish and Latin American literature courses, studies Latin American poetry 鈥 specifically Peruvian poetry and urban representations of Latin American cities. Villacorta examines the correspondence between Ver谩stegui and Luchting through these lenses in his new book, 鈥淐artas desde los extramuros.鈥
Villacorta stumbled upon the correspondence between Luchting and Ver谩stegui while exploring Princeton University’s archives for a different project. This accident shaped the next seven years of his academic career.
鈥淚 found many letters from many writers,鈥 Villacorta said. 鈥淭his one was poetry, and not many letters from [Peruvian] poets you can find from outside of Peru.鈥
The story Villacorta discovered in his research was more than just the correspondence between two men. The letters provided evidence of cross-cultural exchange during a time of political, cultural and social movement and unrest. They captured the power in Ver谩stegui鈥檚 poetry and what it represents, while also documenting a formative shift in Peruvian history during a politically turbulent time.
Ver谩stegui had already published several poems when he first wrote to Luchting in his early twenties. He was unsatisfied with his accomplishments, yearning to be recognized as the academic he was. Ver谩stegui wanted to establish a reputation as someone who was well-read, and had philosophical ideas that were imbued in and went beyond what he wrote.
Excerpt from 鈥淚f You Stay in my Country鈥 by Enrique Ver谩stegui:
But in my country there are those who talk with their bottle of wine
on the blue wall.
And poetry rolls with you hand in hand
through these same places that are not the places
to film a destroyed song.
And on behalf of poetry in my country
if you didn’t talk like this
they force you to leave
in my country
there is nowhere to go
but you have to go out
like acne in the pink shell.
And this urges you more than a perfect word.
Ver谩stegui saw Luchting as the solution. Luchting, born in Germany, had worked as a translator and journalist in Germany and South America before coming to the United States. By the 1970s, he was an established professor at Washington State University, where he translated Latin American literature into German and English.
Ver谩stegui thought Luchting could provide the means to have his poetry translated, and help establish Ver谩stegui鈥檚 reputation in academic circles. Unfortunately, Ver谩stegui found claiming the recognition he deserved elusive during his lifetime.
The years Ver谩stegui and Luchting wrote to each other, 1973 to 1977, were a time of great change in Peru. This four-year period saw the final years of a military dictatorship led by Major Gen. Juan Velasco Alvarado, who had created intense social change while in power, collapse. In its place arose a far more conservative, democratic system of government led by Francisco Morales Berm煤dez, who overthrew Velasco during a coup in 1975.
Villacorta explained that in the letters, there is a shift from the feeling of hope that Peru was changing for the betterment of its people to the unease of knowing that something had gone wrong.
As Latin America鈥檚 politics changed, so too did the region鈥檚 culture and literature. Traditional poetry made way for young poets who used slang and indigenous languages in their writing. This was a 鈥渘ew generation with new ideas,鈥 explains Villacorta.
These young writers wanted to be connected to the wider world, and there was excitement among consumers in the United States and Western Europe who wanted to read their work. People like Ver谩stegui wrote poetry, then academics like Luchting translated the poetry for consumers in the United States. This, at least, was the ideal for Latin American authors. An ideal Ver谩stegui strived for, but fell short of, after four years of correspondence with Luchting.
In Peru, Ver谩stegui鈥檚 poetry was often barred from publication due to erotic themes the government found inappropriate. Despite Ver谩stegui鈥檚 longing to join the academic world, he was never recognized by Peruvian society or the Peruvian literary community.
While Ver谩stegui鈥檚 found some recognition outside of Peru, including in Mexico, his works were never widely published. However, the recent publication of Villacorta鈥檚 book is bringing the poet鈥檚 work to a wider audience.
鈥淭his work is shifting how we think about Ver谩stegui鈥檚 work,鈥 Villacorta said. 鈥淚 did not know the book would have that kind of impact.鈥
While Ver谩stegui, who died in 2018, never achieved the recognition he sought, his letters may help him realize his ambitions after all, as his story and work become more recognized by academics and readers alike.
Story by Emma Beauregard, research media intern.
Contact: Daniel Timmermann, daniel.timmermann@maine.edu
