“Hermes en la vía pública” by Antonio de Obregón

Antonio de Obregón (1910-1985) was a Spanish writer, and also a film director. He wrote two novels

(“Efectos navales”, and “Hermes en la vía pública”), and a poetry book (“El campo, la ciudad y el cielo”). I learned about this author through a great literary critic, Juan Herrero Senés, who is a Spanish literature professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. 

The main character of this novel is Hermes, who fell in love with Blanca. They met in a port area, and spent the rest of the day together. But then she disappeared. Later they met again, and he tricked her into having sex. Blanca was married to René B. W. Dupont, a powerful designer/business man known as the King of Fashion. He faked his death and framed Hermes for his murder. Hermes had to run away to Egypt, and create a new identity. Hermes and René crossed paths again, and at the end René sold Blanca to Hermes.

The plot is very fun and engaging, and it has a twisted sense of humor. It reminds me a little of Gómez de la Serna’s book “El caballero del hongo gris”. In both novels humor is a very important part of the style, and also in both cases the main characters know how to work the system, and are professional swindlers. This book was published in the early thirties, when writers tried to avoid homosexual characters. Homosexuality was a taboo. But that is not the case in this book. “Hermes en la vía públuca” is one of the few books from this time that has a gay character, and actually is the smartest one. I am talking about René B. W. Dupont, the only one able to fool Hermes successfully. Though this character is the villain in the story, or at least the most evil of all, it is fascinating that Antonio de Obregón chose to have a gay character.

“Cinelandia” by Ramón Gómez de la Serna

 Ramón Gómez de la Serna (1888-1963) was a Spanish writer and a member of the Generation of

1914. His literary production was remarkably extensive, and he is very well known by his “greguerías” (a new genre that he invented).

“Cinelandia” was published in 1923. But, is it a novel? I like to believe so. The book tells the story of the city of Cinelandia, which actually is the main character. This place is a parody of Hollywood, CA. Cinelandia is a fake city created in order to produce movies. It was a huge film factory, to the point that became a real city. Emerson was the president/city major, and he can be considered as the head of the company. All movie stars lived there, and attracted everyone who wanted to become one. Like in Thomas More’s Utopia, the book explains how the city functions, its peculiarities and problems.

This book shows the impact that the film industry had on society during the first half of the 20th century. Hollywood became the heart of the movie industry with four major film companies: Paramount, Warner Bros., RKO, and Columbia. Ramón Gómez de la Serna deeply analyzed this phenomenon, paying special attention to the way this industry was affecting our society. He uses humor and parody to keep the reader entertained, while giving the opportunity to think critically. One question that rises after reading the book is: “Cinelandia” is a reflection of the world, or the other way around? Movies were inspired in reality, but at the same time had a huge influence on the World.

I found this book extremely helpful to understand how the film industry was perceived at the time. Movies were made for the entire World, and that makes Cinelandia a cosmopolitan film factory.

“Crimen” by Agustín Espinosa

Lately I have been writing about several books that don’t really follow a storyline. We can think of “Impresiones y Paisajes” by Lorca, or “Lancelot 28°-7” by Agustín Espinosa. “Crimen” (1934), also by the Canarian author Agustín Espinosa, doesn't have a complete storyline. It’s possible that this kind of books can seem boring, but in this case the reader has to focus on something else, and not just paying attention to the plot. It is crucial to understand that during the first half of the 20th century many intellectuals tried to experiment with literature, and the way a text is written. I love giving the example of “Cazador en el Alba”, by Francisco Ayala, because it focuses on the style and not that much on the story.

“Crimen” is the perfect book to understand Surrealism in literature. The person that tells the story confesses that he killed his wife during the honeymoon, throwing her through the train window. Killing her hunts him, and affects him mentally. Most of this book shows a subconscious that cannot forget this murder, and expresses it through dreams, nightmares and a strong imagination.

This is a very short book, but very useful if the reader wants to approach surrealist and experimental writings. Without knowing that the person who is talking murdered his wife, we cannot understand anything. Knowing what happened allows us to comprehend each text in the book. It is very easy to read, and somehow keeps us entertained by trying to put all pieces together, and interpreting it. Like always, Espinosa’s writing is very poetic, and uses images that are very significant through the entire book. In this case the sea is crucial. But also his selection of words is unexpected, and shocking. The use of words like excrements, masturbation, or vomit are used many times:

“Ella se masturbaba cotidianamente sobe él, mientras besaba el retrato de un muchacho de suave bigote oscuro”

But this is something I believe we can expect in many surrealist texts, like in “México y Viaje al País de los Tarahumaras” by Antonin Artaud.

“Lancelot 28°-7” by Agustín Espinosa

Agustín Espinosa (1897-1939) was a very active member of the avant-garde (Surrealism) in the Canary Islands during the late 20’s and all 30’s. At the time, he was well known for two major works, “Lancelot 28°-7” (1928), and “Crimen” (1934). Sadly he has been forgotten and nowadays his name doesn’t ring a bell to many people. But his work is, without a shadow of doubt, one of the best representations of the Surrealism in the Canary Islands. Agustín Espinosa played with images in a magical way, giving them new complete meanings. “Lancelot 28°-7” is an excellent example of this.

This book doesn’t have a story line, because it doesn’t tell a story in itself. It is prose poetry, filled with powerful images. The target is to rediscover Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands. What I mean is that Agustín Espinosa tries to redefine this island through the reconceptualization of symbols that characterize this insular space. Examples are the palm trees or the wind. By doing so, Espinosa shapes a Canary identity that differs from the rest of Spain. Lanzarote is Africa… the Canary Islands are Africa, but place in a global and modern context. The Canary Islands culture feeds from the world, and it is modern. An example is Puerto de Naos:

“Tú- hombre del siglo XIX; cazador de lo pintoresco-: esquiva puertos de esta clase. Este Puerto no se parece ya a tus puertos románticos. Aquí todo está ordenado. Clasifiado. Los barcos parecen más papeletas de un fichero que aventureros del océano.” (91)

Every Canarian should read this book, because gives a perspective on our own identities. It pushes us to think of ourselves in a healthy way, as Canarians, Spaniards, Europeans, Africans, and citizens of the World. It is a shame that this book is not read in the schools at the islands. I hope that some day that will change, and High Schools will offer a class in Canary culture.