Yeray Barroso’s New Poetry Collection Examines Tourism’s Impact on Canary Islands Identity

In his latest poetry collection, Tenerife-born poet Yeray Barroso (1992) explores how the rapid growth of tourism is reshaping the Canary Islands and eroding local identity. Through a fictional setting called "Calimal," Barroso uses the town as a metaphor for the social and urban changes seen across the archipelago, where traditional low-rise homes are increasingly replaced by massive hotels and concrete developments.

The collection goes beyond documenting physical changes to reflect on collective memory and the feeling of being uprooted. The story follows a protagonist who returns home after 30 years to find a jarring contrast between the village he remembers and the tourist-focused city that has taken its place. Rather than relying on simple nostalgia, Barroso examines "peripheral" identities—those often left out of official tourism marketing—while weaving in layers of indigenous history.

The book is uniquely narrative in style, depicting a harsh, precarious environment where daily survival is balanced by deep emotional connections. Barroso explores the tension between a challenging landscape—defined by aridity and limited resources—and the comfort found in nature and community. His writing draws on influences from literary figures like Albert Camus, Lorca, Cernuda, and Anne Carson, while paying tribute to the poet Félix Francisco Casanova.

Ultimately, Barroso’s work acts as a form of "emotional archaeology." By questioning whether our origins are permanent or if we are shaped by memories we have left behind, he moves beyond local concerns to examine how identity survives under constant economic pressure. The collection serves as a powerful testimony to the struggle of living in a place that no longer feels familiar, where childhood memories become the only reliable map for navigating a transformed world.