

Sections
Highlight
Following the success of previous Salvador Rueda poetry evenings in the village of the poet's birth, Benaque, in the Axarquía, the event is this year taking place in Vélez-Málaga this Saturday (5 October).
This year is a truly international celebration of the renowned poet who wrote about his land in works such as A Málaga, La Sandía (the watermelon), La Copla (traditional song) and El Copo (style of fishing). Rueda was recognised in the USA, South America and the Philippines for his writing which was inspired, in particular, by the nature and beauty of his homeland.
During the event there will be poetry readings in Spanish, French and English. Renowned British writer, poet and essayist, Christopher Reid will be reading two of his poems.
Reid won the Costa Book Award in 2010 for his book A Scattering which pays tribute to his late wife, the actor Lucinda Gane. He has worked for the UK publisher Faber & Faber and selected and edited letters written by the British writer and poet Ted Hughes in the book Letters of Ted Hughes (2007).
Reid has recently edited a similar book of letters by the Irish poet and playwright Seamus Heaney.
In an exclusive interview with SUR in English ahead of Saturday's event, Reid said that he had been "properly introduced to Spain" by the Irish poet and his partner, Róisín Tierney. The couple met about 15 years ago and "one of the first things she did was introduce me to Spain". That introduction was in fact to Granada, where the couple now own a house, which they have visited "every year since then for increasing lengths of time".
Reid said that he has "written lots of poems since being in Spain" and that "the poems come faster here than they do in London", which he says he puts "down to magic".
He explained that his style of writing has changed since he started coming to Granada and that his poems "show a different spirit" from those he "might have written in London or anywhere else".
In terms of his choice of poems for the event, Reid has chosen not to read ones about Granada: "That would be like bringing coals to Newcastle." However, there are nods to Spain in the poems he has selected which he says "speaks to my heart, it's just wonderful".
Róisín Tierney is an Irish poet who is based in London and of course Granada. Originally from Dublin, her connection with Spain goes back to her childhood when her mum used to "take in students every summer, in the '70s they were typically Spanish, French and Italian", she explained to SUR in English.
Róisín went on to learn Spanish at secondary school and did school exchanges with a family in Seville. In 2005 she returned to Spain, this time to Valladolid and then to Granada where she taught English for around two and a half years.
Róisín works part-time as an administrator for the NHS and when she's not doing that she writes poetry which she is often invited to read at festivals. Her work has been published in a number of literary publications and she does some translating from Spanish to English, including a few translations of poetry.
Róisín revealed that one of the poems she will be reading at the event also alludes to Spain and is about a squid (calamar).
Axarquía-based poet, teacher and writer Ana Melendo Lecea will be reading two of her own poems and one by Elicura Chihuailaf, a Chilean writer of Mapuche origin.
Ana was born in China but educated in France. She first came to Malaga in 1977 and would go on to spend many summers here before living here from 1986 to 1988.
After a few years in Madrid Ana returned to the province in 1992 and worked for over 30 years at the city's Escuela Oficial de Idiomas (official language school) as a French teacher. Ana told SUR in English, "As for poetry, I started writing more continuously around twenty years ago."
Encuentros Poéticos de Benaque started in 2019 thanks to its founder Francisco García Martínez, a resident of the village, who has been involved in organising poetry events in the Axarquía for a number of years.
This year Francisco also has the help of Fernando Gil Martín, an actor with the Teatro María Zambrano company, and Fernando de France, a French-Spanish cinematographer and photographer who is based in the Axarquía. The event also has the support of Vélez-Málaga town hall.
The event takes place on Saturday 5 October at the Auditorio del Jardín del Cerro in Vélez-Málaga. 'Rueda Que Te Rueda', starts at 8.30pm and is free.
There will be musical interludes from the Benajarafe-based band Swingate.
Noticia Patrocinada
Publicidad
Almudena Santos y Lidia Carvajal
Rocío Mendoza | Madrid, Álex Sánchez y Sara I. Belled
Alba Martín Campos y Nuria Triguero
Esta funcionalidad es exclusiva para registrados.
Reporta un error en esta noticia
Debido a un error no hemos podido dar de alta tu suscripción.
Por favor, ponte en contacto con Atención al Cliente.
¡Bienvenido a SURINENGLISH!
Tu suscripción con Google se ha realizado correctamente, pero ya tenías otra suscripción activa en SURINENGLISH.
Déjanos tus datos y nos pondremos en contacto contigo para analizar tu caso
¡Tu suscripción con Google se ha realizado correctamente!
La compra se ha asociado al siguiente email
Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados
¿Ya eres registrado?
Inicia sesiónNecesitas ser suscriptor para poder votar.