Bayamo, Granma.–Her every word seems verse. Passionate and unassuming, poet Lucía Muñoz has shaped a kind of intimacy with this eastern Cuban city, transformed into poetry; as such it is no accident that she has been christened “The Bride of Bayamo”.
Understanding of this land runs through the poet’s veins, as great-great-granddaughter of noted patriot Manuel Muñoz Cedeño, orchestrator of the piece “La Bayamesa”, Cuba’s national anthem composed by Perucho Figueredo.
From the city known as ”the Birthplace of Cuban Nationality”, Lucía has magnified women’s lyrical poetry on the island, and won several national and international awards, including the special mention in the XXXI edition of the Nosside World Poetry Prize 2015, with “Quisiera oler a humo”.
The Nosside Prize is part of the UNESCO World Poetry Directory, and is the only global event that honors unpublished works of poetry that have not been awarded prizes in other competitions. The award was founded in 1983 and is dedicated to Nosside, a female poet who lived in Locri (Reggio Calabria province, Italy), in the 3rd century BC.
With her sweet and melancholy tone, Lucía, referring to the recently announced award, explained that the poem takes as a pretext the experiences of the early years of the Special Period in the country, when women had to invent ways to put a plate of food on the table.
“During those days, I cooked with firewood, and my hair absorbed the smell, something my husband pointed out daily.
“The poem has a special meaning because I wrote it in the midst of my first physical separation from Luis Carlos Suárez, my compañero in life and in art, when he had to fulfill an international mission in Venezuela. At that time, he was not by my side to remind me that my hair smelled of smoke.
“The work also refers to the Odyssey and simultaneously draws a parallel between Penelope, Odysseus, Luis Carlos and me.
“Poetry is very difficult to explain, because the art is polysemic, but in short “Quisiera oler a humo” reflects the loneliness of a woman.”
Lucía states she was happy to represent her country at the contest and to be selected from among many poets of the world by such a prestigious jury. She explained that she will receive the prize, in the form of a plaque and certificate, during the 25th International Book Fair of Havana, to be held in February, and the poem will be included in a digital anthology along with the other award-winning works.
The poet has published more than twenty titles, including Sobre hojas que nadie ve, Los más bellos bisontes de la tierra, Pongo de este lado los sueños, Rhapsody in blue, Amargo ejercicio, Una mujer puede andar, and Arenas del tiempo.
Together with poetry, reading promotion is another of her passions. Hence, her main project for 2016 is a socio-cultural space called “Acento”.
“It would consist of the conversion of an old, underutilized garage, as Luis Carlos and I have no bicycle, into a mini-library of used texts, to encourage, within the community, a love of reading.”
“Some say that books are endangered given technological developments, but nothing compares to the pleasure of stretching out on the floor or under a mango tree to enjoy a good story, whether in prose or verse. Many classic titles have been digitized but that will never equal the satisfaction of touching a book, noting its smell...hence the need to promote spaces such as Acento.”
Conversing with Lucía, her passion for this land and especially for her home, located in the neighborhood of Camilo Cienfuegos, Bayamo, comes up again and again. This is a place where she grew as a person and an artist, and with which she has achieved a perfect harmony.
“When the wind blows, I know if it will rain or if the cold is coming, because I know my surroundings, and without them I can not write a single word.”
Does she confirm her “marriage” to Bayamo?
“Of course. All that I am I owe to this land, and anything I do henceforth will have to be born here.”
With this statement Lucía reaffirms herself as that unique poet from Bayamo, who seeks, in her everyday life, the inspiration for the most beautiful poem of her life.
