On the occasion of the 160th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Portugal, to be celebrated on October 20 of this year, the biblio/photographic exhibition titled A Wake of a Sea in Flames: Mexican versions based on Fernando Pessoa with works by Édgar Orlaineta is proposed. This exhibition will highlight the different moments, poets, and Mexican translators who have translated the Portuguese bard, creating a perfect meeting point for various generations of the language. The visual artist Édgar Orlaineta is also expected to participate, contributing his own work for both the bibliographic exhibit and sculptures and other outdoor pieces, using the gardens of the Galveias Palace with a museography designed expressly for the exhibition.
Fernando Pessoa’s literature, with its poetic richness and philosophical exploration, has been extensively translated into Spanish and has found a privileged place in Mexican cultural circles. His writings, both prose and poetry, have been analyzed and appreciated by Mexican critics and scholars, and his influence has spread to many writers and poets across Latin America. It is no exaggeration to say that the work of Fernando Pessoa is one of the high points in the cultural dialogue between our two countries.
Likewise, the exhibition will include the publication of a commemorative bilingual anthology featuring Mexican versions of Pessoa’s texts, with contributions from writers such as Octavio Paz, Francisco Cervantes, Blanca Luz Pulido, Eduardo Langagne, and Mario Bojórquez, and a unpublished text by visual artist Edgar Orlaineta. Supported by the latest studies on Pessoa’s work, the anthology will aim to provide a Mexican Spanish version through translations of various essays, articles, and poems that give a complete picture of the Portuguese bard’s significance in the Mexican literary tradition of the 20th and 21st centuries.
October 21, 2024
