Olvido García Valdéspoesía y poética

Abstract

The aim of this PhD dissertation is to describe the foundations of the poetics of Olvido García Valdés. To do that, we will take as starting points her own key words and formulas. The main goal is to elucidate how her poems proceed «to catch the thing», an ambition which will be explored from Roland Barthes’ notion of the neutral. First of all, it will be necessary to conceive this poetry as a part of a personal work which deals with an existential category named desdicha and aspires to an ephemeral grace. The real is experienced in fascination, a phenomenon of attention in which a self-estrangement, essential to the poem, takes place. The transfer of these experiences to writing derives from a tradition of thought which makes García Valdés’ a critical poetic language, able to open itself beyond (self)imposed limits and aware, among other issues, of its gender roots. Finally, in order to catch the thing, the poem bets on turning its gaze to the tangible and singular. Moreover, it puts into practice a literality which undermines the most imposing side of language and paralyses meaning. All in order to access that which, by definition, is inaccessible.