IECan Launches Robayna Poetry Tribute

The Institute of Canarian Studies (IECan) in La Laguna will host a book launch this Monday at 6:30 PM. The book, La luz del tiempo (The Light of Time), is a special non-commercial edition honoring the poet Andrés Sánchez Robayna, who passed away in March. Published by the University of La Laguna and the Government of the Canary Islands, it's a collection of his poems, with comments from various poets, artists, and essayists.

Admission to Monday's event is free, on a first-come, first-served basis. Alejandro Rodríguez-Refojo, one of the book's editors, and Alejandro Krawietz from the IECan's literature section will speak at the launch.

This event follows an exhibition titled "Andrés Sánchez Robayna or the Book of the World," which ran until October 30 at the University Library of Humanities. Curated by Professor Carlos Brito, Fátima Sainz, and Alejandro Rodríguez-Refojo, the exhibition showcased Sánchez Robayna's extensive work, including his poetry, essays, translations, magazines, and various editions.

The University of La Laguna, which now holds Sánchez Robayna's library and archives, published La luz del tiempo to accompany the exhibition. This anthology features his poems, with insights from friends and collaborators he worked with over the years.

Editors Alejandro Rodríguez-Refojo and Régulo Hernández asked contributors to select a poem by Sánchez Robayna (author of Palmas sobre la losa fría) and provide their critical commentary. This "deep dive into the poem" was a method Sánchez Robayna himself always encouraged in poetry readers.

Many notable figures accepted the invitation to contribute, including Alfonso Alegre Heitzmann, Aurora Egido, Jaime Siles, Jenaro Talens, Ana Nuño, Juan Manuel Bonet, Juan Gopar, Clara Janés, Francisco León, Jacques Ancet, Melchor López, Gustavo Guerrero, and Alberto Blanco. These authors, from the Canary Islands, mainland Spain, Latin America, and Europe, reflect the wide reach of Sánchez Robayna's literary journey.

Mexican poet Alberto Blanco's contribution includes these powerful words: "Brother Andrés, brother of the catacombs, we continue to keep this flame alive that has come to us not for thousands, but for tens, hundreds of thousands of years... perhaps more. What a gift! [...] We might think that poetry has already fulfilled its purpose and that it is good for it to disappear: it has transformed us into human beings. [...] But when I look around me, and observe what is happening everywhere [...] then a feeling of sobriety comes over me and I say to myself: 'No, not yet... in fact, the work has barely begun'."