How did the book come about?
The book *Hidalgos*, as the title suggests, explores a certain connection and re-examination of my relationship with Spanish poetry by various poets and literary movements, primarily the so-called Generation of ’50. Through a journey of discovery, it traces the work of several poets who have played a significant role in shaping my aesthetic sensibilities. It is also a book that proposes a very particular relationship between prose poetry and free verse or blank verse, as these two forms of composition appear throughout the book.
How did you decide which ones to write in prose and which ones in verse?
The choice is dictated by the rhythm the poem demands, not by the poet’s formal pretensions. At least for me, it has always been a necessity. Poetry, above all, is rhythm. Rhythm dictates the choice of vocabulary, the words to be selected, and the stanzaic form. In that sense, the different poems shaped that necessity. The theme that runs through the entire book has to do with a journey into personal memory and a certain collective memory that demands a pilgrimage within the Spanish language itself, and that is where the poems are born.
How long did it take you to write the book?
It went pretty quickly. In February 2017, I started writing a novel. I usually work on one book alongside another so I don’t feel pressured to finish any single project. I channel my anxiety through this challenge. I think that actually helps me finish writing books so quickly. In three or four months, I already had a first draft of the novel. Then, one morning on my way to work at ORT, I stopped at a corner because it was raining, under a doorway. I realized I hadn’t done that in many years; from there, I found the rhythm I wanted to write in and the initial idea of where to start. I went to work, came home, and wrote the first draft. In the days that followed, I kept writing. I was finishing the novel while I was writing this book. The novel was published, and this book won the Marosa di Giorgio Award.
Did you write it with the contest in mind?
You should never write with a contest in mind. Contests can serve as motivation to keep writing. I’ve chosen to submit many of my books to contests and have won on a few occasions, but the contest isn’t the catalyst or the way to generate writing for projects—much less literary ones. It’s a way to measure the results of your work against those of other writers and to have your work judged by specific juries. In that sense, the contest shouldn’t be the motivation but rather a pathway to publication, a way to showcase certain results, and, in international contests, to measure yourself against others who are far away and have different resources.
Even if the contest itself isn't what motivates you, what motivated you to enter it, and why did you choose this one?
I traveled through various departments of Uruguay with the support of the Ministry of Education and Culture, presenting the book *Caballo que ladra*, which won the First National Literature Prize in the Published Poetry category in 2016. That was why the ministry suggested I take this tour, and I gladly accepted. Since I had the book ready, I liked the idea of entering this contest because I greatly appreciate the work left behind by Marosa di Giorgio, which remains very relevant today. I took advantage of my trip to the different departments, and when I visited Salto, I went to the place where I had to submit the originals. I continued my tour, returned to Montevideo, and this is the result.
Ultimately, my choice stems from my admiration for Marosa di Giorgio’s work and also from the nature of the award, which is the only international poetry prize awarded in Uruguay.