Marina Mariash — Poeta judío-argentina/Argentine Jewish Poet — “No compren fantasmas” y otros poemas/”Don’t Buy Ghosts” and Other Poems

Marina Mariach

Marina Mariasch Nace en Buenos Aires en una familia judía. Licenciada en Letras y docente en la carrera de Artes de la Escritura (UNA). En los años 90 fundó el sello editorial Siesta. Publicó poesía (El zig zag de las institucionesPaz o amorMutual sentimiento, entre otros), novela (El MatrimonioEstamos unidasEfectos personales), cuentos y ensayos que fueron traducidos al alemán, inglés, finlandés. Escribe e interviene en diversos medios culturales.

________________________________________

Marina Mariasch was born in Buenos Aires to a Jewish family, She holds a degree in Literature and teaches in the Creative Writing program at the National University of the Arts (UNA). In the 1990s, she founded the publishing house Siesta. She has published poetry (El zig zag de las instituciones, Paz o amor, Mutual sentimiento, among others), novels (El Matrimonio, Estamos unidas, Efectos personales), short stories, and essays that have been translated into German, English, and Finnish. She writes for and contributes to various cultural media outlets.

Suscribite por $1.020

Home

Newsletters

Juegos

Tienda Clarín

Último Momento

Política

Economía y Rural

Sociedad

Mundo

Opinión

Deportes

Cultura y Espectáculos

Estilo

Servicios

Multimedia

Edición impresa

_______________________________________

Poemas/Poems

No compren fantasmas

La frase estaba tallada en la puerta

por la que se entra al patio, una puerta

de lata antigua de servicio pintada

alguien había tallado ahí, levantando

la pintura verde casi negro

la advertencia. No niego

que me dio miedo, el tobogán

de plástico roto que quedó

en el jardincito del fondo era el mismo

que me había llevado ahí. Una casa

tres avenidas al oeste de mi

cuna de oro. Al tobogán

lo dejamos en la vereda, a la frase

no la tapamos, en cambio pintamos

con colores fuertes y vivos

otras en la misma puerta, una manera

de exorcizar: El amor

es un búmerang, serán tus sueños

los mismos que los míos? Taza,

taza, hay una luz

que nunca se apaga. La casa

era un exilio de lo permanente

lo que habíamos pensado

para siempre, un clavo

para sostener un cuadro

con una imagen perfecta

o no tanto, pero suficiente

mente bella para siempre.

Exilio de lo permanente,

pegamos afiches con cinta scotch,

pintamos las paredes, todo

puede cambiar de un momento

a otro, en la mudanza

el collar de rocas negras

octágonos no tan pequeños

se había partido, turmalina

buena fortuna dijo en el viejo

mercado la vendedora, rota

seguiría surtiendo el mismo

efecto? El día de la mudanza

dos amigas se sentaron a la mesa

recién apoyada en el lugar

de permanencia, reuniones

y comidas y se sacaron

chispas, los ojos, mechones

de pelo. Atribulada iba y venía

llevando y trayendo cajas y órdenes

y mi mamá ya fantasma pero todavía

viva negó con la cabeza

miró a mis amigas, negó

que eso fuera algo de hacerle

a una amiga el día que entra

a una casa nueva. Cizaña

recién sembrada. En el pasillo

había una virgen de una religión cualquiera

una iemanjá y una cruz

en un rosario de colores vivos

decidí conservarlos, no se tira

pensé lo que sobrevive

y tiene nombre antes que uno.

Yo solo quería que pasaran

los días, andar en bombacha,

remera y tazón de café con leche,

lo que se dice entrecasa, aunque

suene tonto, las palabras son

dispositivos inútiles para la

paz de la mañana. No es que

los venerara. Había comprado

fantasmas, mucho antes

hay que odiar un poco

lo que se ama. Siguen acá

entre nosotros, viendo cómo

nos aman y se van, cómo

traen flores de las que

se pudren y otras que

siguen vivas cada temporada.

Lo variable se vuelve

estático nunca permanente

duradero, llegaron cosas

de otras casas. Cambió

la época, dejó de ser la

misma, no hay hamacas

ni juegos que no sean

de mente, de mesa.

La casa de la miel

es esta no es la de al lado

no es la de enfrente.

Esa cerró, la otra navega

un barco ebrio. Acá nunca

falta la miel, es la nuestra

atravesó tres casas, tres

avenidas hacia la pobreza

es nuestra amalgama, nuestra

agalma, la palabra que nunca

aparece cuando la quiero

nombrar. Permanece.

En la cadena del temblor

que caminamos en pijama

con tazas de café en la mano

siguen ahí algunas cosas

seguimos nosotros, no somos

los mismos, pero tampoco

tanto, yéndonos a dormir

levantándonos, sin saber

muy bien cuándo se termina

pero sabiendo bien

cuando nos juntamos

en el horno para que nos de

calor, cuando compartimos

secado de pelo lavado

de manos, que se termina.

por un camino distinto.

______________________________________________________

Don’t buy ghosts

The phrase was carved into the door

Through which you enter the patio, a door

of old service door of painted tinplate

someone had carved there, putting up

om the green almost black paint

the warning.  Don’t deny

that it frightened me, the toboggan

of broken plastic that remained

in the little garden at the back was the same one

that had taken me there. A house

three avenues west of my

golden cradle. As for the toboggan

we left it on the sidewalk, to the phrase

we didn’t cover it up, rather we painted

with strong and vivid colors

others on the same door, a way

of exorcism. The love

is a boomerang. will your dreams

be the same as mine Cup,

cup, there is a light

that never goes out. The house

is an exile from the permanent

which we had thought

 to be forever, a nail

to picture

with a perfect image

of not quite, but sufficient-

ly beautiful for always.

Exile for the permanent,

We put up posters with scotch tape,

we paint the walls, everything

can change from one moment

to another, during the move

the necklace of black stones

octagons not so small

had departed, tourmaline

good luck the saleslady said

in the old market, broken,

will it have the same

effect? The day of the move

two friends sat at the table

just leaned in the place

of permanence, reunions

and meals and they took away

sparks, locks of hair. Anguished, she came and went

carrying and bringing boxes and orders

and my mother already a ghost but still

alive shook her head

looked at my friends, shook her head

that that was something to do to

a friend the day that you enter

a new house. Trouble

recently sown. In the hall

there was a a virgin from some religion or other

a fertility goddess and a cross

on a bright-colored rosary

I decided to keep them, to throw them away

I thought of what survives

and has a name before you do.

I wanted only that the days

Psss, go around in baggy pants,

tee shirt and a mug of coffee with milk,

what is called around the house, although

that sounds silly, the words are

useless devises for the

morning peace. It’s not that

I venerate them. I had bought

ghosts, long before

it’s necessary to hate a bit

what you love. They continue here

among us, seeing how

they love us and leave,

they bring flowers of those

that rot and others that

stay alive every season.

The variable becomes

static never permanent

durable, things arrived

from other homes. The

epoch changed. It ceased being the

same, there are no hammocks

or games that aren’t

mental, table.

The house of honey

is this one, not the one to the side

it isn’t the one in front.

That closed, the other navigates

a drunken ship. Here the honey

is never lacking, it is ours

crossed three houses

three avenues toward poverty

it is our amalgam

our amalga, the word that never

appears when I want to

name it. It remains.

IO the chain of trembling

that we walk in pajamas

with cups of cover in hand

some things continue here

we continue here, we not

the same, but not so much

either, going to sleep

getting up, without knowing

very well when it ends

but knowing well

when we move together

near the oven to get

warm, when we share

drying washed hair

by hands, that ends

in a different path.


________________________________________________

No le tengas miedo a las tormentas.
Los truenos
son espectaculares
tienen que ver con el cine.
Si tenés miedo, vení a mi cama
nos tapamos con dos frazadas.
Los relámpagos. El flash de una cámara
que le saca una foto a la ciudad.
Los balcones se iluminan por un segundo
y se apagan
como cuando es navidad.
Las tormentas son buenas.
un preámbulo o conclusión
que tranquiliza porque llegó.

___________________________

Don’t be afraid of the storms.

The thunder

Is spectacular

They are like the movies.

If you are afraid, come to my bed

We’ll cover ourselves with two blankets.

The lightening bolts. The flash of a camera

that takes a photo of the entire city.

The balconies are illuminated for a second

and go dark

as when it is Christmas.

The storms are good.

A preamble or a conclusion

that quiets because it arrived.

___________________________________

 Hace calor a esta hora.
En el patio de abajo
corre viento
como en los lugares de playa.
La perra lame sus cachorros
para refrescarlos.
después de comer
nos tiramos en la cama
hacemos la siesta,
la cama es un barco
la alfombra es el mar.
Las sierras de la obra
hacen de chicharras
los obreros tocan el toc-toc.

It’s hot at this hour.

In the patio below

wind runs

as in those places on the beach.

The bitch licks its pups

to cool them off.

after eating

we throw ourselves on the bed

we take a siesta

the bed is a ship

the rug is the sea

The mountains of the work

act like cicadas

the workers play knock-knock.

Estás sentado, estás leyendo
En la mesa del comedor
hay una canasta
con pan y manteca
Y vos-naranja
Sos suavecito en los dedos
cuando hablás
por teléfono
Si estamos resfriados
nos damos besos aéreos
Si estamos mojados
nos damos besos mojados.
Clic-clic es el ruido de la puerta
cuando me late más fuerte
y cruzo las piernas.
De los gajos de una naranja
salió el ombligo.

Los días nublados tenés
los ojos como pasto mojado.
Tu piel es suave como la parte
de adentro de los brazos y tenés
pecas en la boca, ¿te comiste una
torta de pecas?
Ahora te mirás
en un espejo chiquito
te saca la lengua,
te devuelve una risa.
Cerca de casa hay un árbol
de moras. Un día
voy a ir a la mañana
Y te voy a juntar muchas moras
para el desayuno.
Cuando llegue el invierno
cada uno tendrá sus pantuflas
tendrá los pies tibios.

You are seated, you are reading

On the dining room table

there is a basket

with bread and butter

and you-orange

You are very soft with your fingers

When you speak

on the telephone

If we have a cold

We give each other air kisses

If we are damp

We give each other damp kisses.

Click-click is the sound of the door

when it throbs in me stronger

and I cross my legs.

Some of the orange peel

came out of my belly button.

On cloudy days you have

Eyes like damp grass.

Your skin is soft like the part

Inside your arms and you have

freckles on your tongue. Did you eat a

freckles cake?

Now you look at yourself

In a small mirror

It takes out your tongue

It gives back to your smile.

Near the house there is a blackberry

Bush. One day

I’m going to go in the morning

and I’ll gather for you many blackberries

for breakfast.

When the winter comes

each one of us will have slippers

will have warm feet.

____________________________________________

Libros de Marina Mariasch/Books by Marina Mariasch

___________________________________________________________

Tatiana Salem Levy–Romancista judea brasiliena/Brazilian Jewish Novelist–“A chave de casa”/”The Key to the House”– Umos trechos do romance/excerpts from the novel

Tatiana Salem Levy

_____________________________________

Tatiana Salem Levy, nascida em Lisboa em 1979, é uma escritora brasileira de ascendência portuguesa e judaico-turca. Vive em Lisboa, onde trabalha como pesquisadora na Universidade Nova. É também colunista do jornal Valor Econômico. Estudou Letras na Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro e na Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro. Ao longo da vida, viveu nos Estados Unidos e na França. Sua obra literária inclui diversos romances, alguns dos quais foram traduzidos para o espanhol, como A Chave de Esmirna (vencedor do Prêmio São Paulo de Melhor Estreia em 2008) e Vista Chinesa.

_______________________________________

Tatiana Salem Levy, born in Lisbon in 1979, is a Brazilian writer of Portuguese and Jewish-Turkish descent. She lives in Lisbon, where she works as a researcher at Nova University. She is also a columnist for the newspaper Valor Econômico. She studied Literature at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. Throughout her life, she has lived in the United States and France. Her literary work includes several novels, some of which have been translated into Spanish, such as A Chave de Esmirna (winner of the São Paulo Prize for Best Debut in 2008) and Vista Chinesa.

____________________________________

______________________________

Conto (crio) essa história dos meus antepassados, essa história das imigrações e suas perdas, essa história da chave de casa, da esperança de retornar ao lugar de onde eles saíram, mas nós duas (só nós duas) sabemos ser outro o motivo da minha paralisia. Conto (crio) essa história para dar algum sentido à imobilidade, para dar uma resposta ao mundo e, de alguma forma, a mim mesma, mas nós duas (só nós duas) conhecemos a verdade. Eu não nasci assim. sair.

_____________________________

Não havia nada de religioso no ritual. Para mim, faltava sempre alguma coisa. Faltava verdade. Tudo não passava de uma grande encenação: éramos judeus um dia por ano. Festejávamos o ano-novo, mas para nós o ano só começava no dia primeiro de janeiro. O ano nunca começou em setembro ou outubro. Então, por que a celebração? Por que esse teatro para nós mesmos? [Não entendo por que dizer que não havia verdade. Deus não estava na mesa, concordo, foi a nossa escolha. Não era a religião o que nos importava, mas a tradição. Não queríamos simplesmente jogar na lata de lixo aquilo que nossos antepassados se esforçaram para guardar. O importante era manter a simbologia. Eu queria transmitir um pouquinho do que aprendi para os que vieram depois.] Eu sei. Entendo seu gesto, entendo sua intenção. Romper definitivamente com o passado é mais difícil do que imaginamos, gera culpa, uma culpa que pode se tornar mortal. Penso que é por isso que somos judeus mesmo quando não o somos. Dizemos que se trata de uma questão genealógica, mas é sobretudo uma questão de medo: temos medo de esquecer o passado e ser responsáveis por isso. [O passado não é para ser esquecido.] Se não esquecemos o passado não vivemos o presente. Você sabe, essa dor que sinto no corpo, os ombros pesados, é o passado não esquecido que carrego comigo. O passado de gerações e gerações. [Não, minha filha, o que você suporta em seu dorso frágil são os silêncios do passado. Você carrega o que nunca foi falado, o que nunca foi ouvido. O silêncio é perigoso, eu a alertei.] Mas a culpa não é minha, não fui eu quem guardou os segredos. Eles chegaram a mim sem licença, e eu nem os conheço. [Sim, você os conhece: seu corpo conhece todos os segredos, todos os silêncios, muito mais do que você imagina.] Você confirma então que se trata de uma herança? Que herdei da família todas as dores? Que belo presente! [Não se irrite, de nada adianta. Tampouco se ausente de sua responsabilidade. Você também é responsável pelo seu passado, é responsável pelo que carrega nas costas e, principalmente, pela maneira como o carrega. Existem diferentes formas de lidar com a herança, e você certamente escolheu uma das mais pesadas, mais doloridas.] Não escolhi nada, já disse: vim ao mundo com esse fardo. [Eu estava lá quando você nasceu e me lembro bem: você era um bebê gorducho e fofo, não havia nada de pesado em seu corpo mole.] Não seja irônica, você sabe do que estou falando. [Não se trata de ironia. Quero apenas que tente enxergar as coisas como elas são, que acredite nessa viagem, que acredite que pode e merece ser feliz. Quero que entenda que não precisa ter a família nas costas, que pode se livrar do passado. Mas para isso não pode ignorá-lo: pelo simples fato de que você nunca o ignorou até agora e, por isso, precisa entendê-lo, precisa nomeá-lo.] Já o nomeei: o passado se chama medo. [Nunca conheci ninguém tão cabeça-dura. Mesmo quando você toma decisões, sempre as está questionando. A cada passo que avança, parece que recua outro. O passado não se chama medo. Não questione tanto, minha filha, apenas prossiga a viagem e verá as surpresas que a aguardam, verá o quão leve a vida pode ser.] Você me diz isso agora, mas não se esqueça de que foi você quem me ensinou que antes da maçã doce precisamos comer o pão seco. [É assim mesmo. A matzá serve para nos lembrar do passado sofrido. O pão seco fala da dor, da miséria. E a maçã com mel garante que não precisamos repetir o passado.] Se falam do passado, então por que trago comigo seus silêncios? [Compreendo suas inquietações. Há muitas coisas que não foram ditas. . .

_________________________

Será que encontraria a casa dos meus antepassados? Que a chave ainda seria a mesma? Eu tentava acreditar nessa história que tinha inventado para mim mesma, nessa história que ainda invento e que é a única capaz de me dar alguma resposta. Nessa história que pode ser a mais descabida, mas também a mais real. Não sei até que ponto são verdadeiras as histórias do meu avô, até que ponto é verdadeiro o que vivo agora. Nem mesmo sei se é verdadeira a minha viagem. Parece que quanto mais me aproximo dos fatos mais me afasto da verdade.

Levy, Tatiana Salem. A chave de casa, Kindle Edition.

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

I tell (create) this story of my ancestors, this story of immigration and its losses, this story of the house key, of the hope of returning to the place they left, but the two of us (only the two of us) know that the reason for my paralysis is something else. I tell (create) this story to give some meaning to the immobility, to give an answer to the world and, in some way, to myself, but the two of us (only the two of us) know the truth. I wasn’t born this way.

______________________

There was nothing religious about the ritual. For me, something was always missing. Truth was missing. It was all just a big charade: we were Jewish one day a year. We celebrated the new year, but for us the year only began on January first. The year never started in September or October. So why the celebration? Why this theater for ourselves? [I don’t understand why you say there was no truth. God wasn’t at the table, I agree, that was our choice. It wasn’t religion that mattered to us, but tradition. We didn’t want to simply throw away what our ancestors had strived to preserve. The important thing was to maintain the symbolism. I wanted to pass on a little of what I learned to those who came after.] I know. I understand your gesture, I understand your intention. To break from dealing with the past is definitely more difficult than we imagine; it generates guilt, a guilt that can become deadly. I think that’s why we are Jewish even when we’re not. We say it’s a genealogical matter, but it’s above all a matter of fear: we are afraid of forgetting the past and being responsible for it. [The past is not to be forgotten.] If we don’t forget the past, we don’t live in the present. You know, this pain I feel in my body, the heavy shoulders, is the unforgotten past that I carry with me. The past of generations and generations. [No, my daughter, what you bear on your fragile back are the silences of the past. You carry what was never spoken, what was never heard. Silence is dangerous, I warned you.] But the guilt isn’t mine, I wasn’t the one who kept the secrets. They came to me without permission, and I don’t even know them. [Yes, you know them: your body knows all the secrets, all the silences, much more than you imagine.] So you confirm that it’s an inheritance? That I inherited all the pain from my family? What a beautiful gift! [Don’t get angry, it’s no use. Nor should you shirk your responsibility. You are also responsible for your past, you are responsible for what you carry on your back and, above all, for the way you carry it. There are different ways to deal with the inheritance, and you certainly chose one of the heaviest, most painful ones.] I didn’t choose anything, I already said: I came into the world with this burden. [I was there when you were born and I remember well: you were a chubby and cute baby, there was nothing heavy about your soft body.] Don’t be ironic, you know what I’m talking about. [It’s not irony. I just want you to try to see things as they are, to believe in this journey, to believe that you can and deserve to be happy. I want you to understand that you don’t need to have your family on your back, that you can free yourself from the past.] But to do that, you can’t ignore it: for the simple reason that you’ve never ignored it until now, and therefore you need to understand it, you need to name it.] I’ve already named it: the past is called fear. [I’ve never met anyone so stubborn. Even when you make decisions, you’re always questioning them. With every step you take forward, you seem to take another step back. The past is not called fear. No.] “Don’t question so much, my daughter, just continue the journey and you will see the surprises that await you, you will see how light life can be.” You tell me this now, but don’t forget that it was you who taught me that before the sweet apple we must eat the dry bread. [That’s right. The matzah serves to remind us of the suffering of the past. The dry bread speaks of pain, of misery. And the apple with honey ensures that we don’t need to repeat the past.] If they speak of the past, then why do I carry their silences with me? [I understand your anxieties. There are many things that were left unsaid…

____________________________

Would I find my ancestors’ house? Would the key still be the same? I tried to believe in this story I had invented for myself, this story I still invent and which is the only one capable of giving me any answers. This story that may be the most far-fetched, but also the most real. I don’t know to what extent my grandfather’s stories are true, to what extent what I’m experiencing now is true. I don’t even know if my journey is real. It seems that the closer I get to the facts, the further I get from the truth.

Translated by Stephen A. Sadow

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

Tosia Malamud (1923-2008) Escultura judío-mexicana/Mexican Jewish Sculptor–“animar un aliento vivo y sugerente al menor tema”/”to infuse the most minor subject with a lively and evocative spirit”

Tosia Malamud

________________________

Tosia Malamud nació en 1923 en Vinnytsya, Ucrania, fue la menor de los dos hijos de Isaac Malamud y Liza Backal, quienes emigraron a México cuando ella tenía 4 años de edad. En el nuevo hogar, su padre estableció la primera imprenta en idish, donde se publicó el legendario libro: “Di Drai Vegn” (Los Tres Caminos) de los recordados poetas Itzjak Berliner, Yacov Glantz y Moishe Glikovsky.. En 1952 tuvo la oportunidad de tener su propio estudio formal que compartió con otro artista, así logró separar su vida familiar con la artística. El año de 1954 fue para Tosia muy importante, debido a que tuvo varias exposiciones, tanto en el Salón de Plástica Mexicana del INBA como en el Centro Deportivo Israelita. Ya se pueden advertir tendencias personales y de estilo que la distinguen de otros escultores de México. Lo que más destaca es la acción, el movimiento; es decir Tosia no toma la expresión escultórica como arte inerte, estática, sino que sus preferencias y su talento la llevan a animar un aliento vivo y sugerente al menor tema. Tosia participó en más de 40 exposiciones individuales y otras tantas colectivas, tanto en México, Estados Unidos, Europa e Israel. Su magistral obra, la mayor parte de ella elaboradas en bronce y piedra, de las cuales 38 de ellas están expuestas en instituciones y lugares públicos en la República Mexicana y 14 en el extranjero.

_______________________________________

Tosia Malamud was born in 1923 in Vinnytsya, Ukraine, the younger of two children of Isaac Malamud and Liza Backal, who emigrated to Mexico when she was four years old. In their new home, her father established the first Yiddish printing press, where the legendary book “Di Drai Vegn” (The Three Paths) by the renowned poets Itzjak Berliner, Yacov Glantz, and Moishe Glikovsky was published. In 1952, she had the opportunity to have her own formal studio, which she shared with another artist, thus allowing her to separate her family life from her artistic life. The year 1954 was very important for Tosia, as she had several exhibitions, both at the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana of the INBA (National Institute of Fine Arts) and at the Israeli Sports Center. Personal and stylistic tendencies that distinguish her from other Mexican sculptors were already evident. What stands out most is the sense of action and movement; that is, Tosia did not conceive of sculptural expression as an inert, static art form, but rather her preferences and talent led her to imbue even the simplest subject with a vibrant and evocative spirit. Tosia participated in more than 40 solo exhibitions and numerous group exhibitions in Mexico, the United States, Europe, and Israel. Her masterful works, most of them created in bronze and stone, include 38 pieces displayed in institutions and public spaces throughout Mexico and 14 abroad.

___________________________________________________________

Esculturas de Tosia Malamud/Sculpture by Tosia Malamud

Penélope

________________________

Maternidad

_______________________________

Mujer tocando el arpa

________________________________

Albert Einstein

____________________________

Madame

___________________________

Amor

_____________________________

Homenaje a Matisse

____________________________

Kneeling Child Holding Father Close

_____________________________

Liberación

____________________________________

Desolación

________________________________________

Amantes

__________________________

___________________________

Pinturas/Paintings

Couple Embracing

_________________________________

________________________________________

Afuera/Outside

Penélope

_____________________________________________

Isaac Goldemberg — Poeta y novelista judío-peruano-norteamericano/Peruvian-American Jewish Poet and Novelist 18 poemas nuevos que le hace pensar/18 new poems that make you think

Isaac Goldemberg

_______________________________________

ISAAC GOLDEMBERG nació en Chepén, Perú, en 1945 y reside en Nueva York desde 1964. Ha publicado cuatro novelas, dos libros de relatos, trece de poesía y tres obras de teatro. Sus publicaciones más recientes son Libro de reclamaciones (2018),Philosophy and Other Fables (2016),Diálogos conmigo y mis otros (2013), La vida breve (2012), Acuérdate del escorpión (2010),Monos azules en Times Square (2008) y Libro de las transformaciones (2007).  Su obra ha sido sido traducida a varios idiomas e incluida en numerosas antologías de América Latina, Europa y los Estados Unidos. En 1995 su novela La vida a plazos de don Jacobo Lerner fue considerada en una encuesta de la revistaDebate como una de las mejores novelas peruanas de todos los tiempos; y en el 2001 fue seleccionada por un Jurado Internacional de críticos literarios convocado por el Yiddish Book Center de Estados Unidos como una de las 100 obras más importantes de la literatura judía mundial de los últimos 150 años.  Goldemberg fue catedrático de New York University (1973-1986) y Profesor Distinguido de The City University of New York (1992-2019), donde dirigió el Instituto de Escritores Latinoamericanos y la revista internacional de cultura Hostos Review. Es Miembro Numerario de la Academia Norteamericana de la Lengua.  Es Miembro Numerario de la Academia Norteamericana de la Lengua Española y profesor honorario de la Universidad Ricardo Palma.

_________________________________________

ISAAC GOLDEMBERG was born in Chepén, Peru, in 1945 and has resided in New York since 1964. He has published four novels, two short-story books, thirteen poetry and three plays. His most recent publications are Libro de reclamaciones (2018),Philosophy and Other Fables (2016),Diálogos conmigo y mis otros (2013), La vida breve (2012), Acuérdate del escorpión (2010),Monos azules en Times Square (2008) and Libro de las transformaciones (2007). His work has been translated into several languages ​​and included in numerous anthologies of Latin America, Europe and the United States. In 1995 his novel Libro de reclamaciones (2018),Philosophy and Other Fables (2016), Diálogos conmigo y mis otros (2013), La vida breve (2012), Acuérdate del escorpión (2010), Monos azules en Times Square (2008) y Libro de las transformaciones (2007). was considered in a survey by Debate magazine as one of the best Peruvian novels of all time; and in 2001 it was selected by an International Jury of literary critics convened by the Yiddish Book Center of the United States as one of the 100 most important works of world Jewish literature of the last 150 years. Goldemberg was a professor at New York University (1973-1986) and Distinguished Professor at The City University of New York (1992-2019), where he directed the Institute of Latin American Writers and the international culture magazine Hostos Review. He is a Full Member of the North American Academy of Language. He is a Full Member of the American Academy of the Spanish Language and an honorary professor at the Ricardo Palma University.  

________________________________________

Isaac Goldemberg. El nuevo gusano saltarín. New York: New York Poetry Press, 2025

Translations into English by Stephen A. Sadow and J. Kates

_________________________________

Goldemberg sabe bien que tanto el primer verso como el último son cruciales para el equilibrio del poema. Sin el corte versal preciso el poema puede inevitablemente colapsar perdiendo sonido y sentido. La poesía se vuelve un trabajo de náufragos, y estar a la deriva es un remolino de nunca acabar. Pocos poemas comienzan bien o poseen un final perfecto que se regodee de sentido. El libro de Goldemberg está repleto de sonido y de sentido. Todo funciona. Cada encabalgamiento está atado al siguiente por vínculos que nos llevan a tratar de entender sus altos vuelos. El nuevo gusano saltarín trae pensamiento, orden y desorden. La filosofía en estos textos deja una clara imagen del transcurso de la vida contra la muerte.

Miguel Ángel Zapata

___________________

Goldemberg knows well that both the first and last verses are crucial to the poem’s balance. Without the precise line breaks, the poem can inevitably collapse, losing both sound and meaning. Poetry becomes the work of shipwrecked souls, and being adrift is an endless whirlpool. Few poems begin well or possess a perfect ending that revels in meaning. Goldemberg’s book is brimming with sound and meaning. Everything works. Each enjambment is linked to the next by connections that lead us to try to understand its soaring flights. The new leaping worm brings thought, order, and disorder. The philosophy in these texts leaves a clear image of the passage of life against the backdrop of death.

Miguel Ángel Zapata

_________________________________

La muerte.

La siente cerca

a la conchesumadre.

Un poco

al lado,

codeándolo.

Es un recuerdo

de cuando

se le apareció

por primera vez.

Estuvo allí,

pero no la vieron

sus ojos

de niño.

La evadió

de muchacho,

como cuando

te dan un jalón

para atrás.

La vio rebotar

contra el pavimento,

mofándose de él.

Ahora la tiene

colgada

del brazo.

________________________________

Death.

He feels the motherfucker

nearby

a little

to one side

jostling him.

He has a memory

of when

it appeared to him

for the first time.

There it was

but the eyes

of a child

could not see it.

As a boy

he dodged it,

as when

they yank you

backwards.

he saw it

bob and weave

on the pavement,

mocking him.

Now he has it

hanging

from his arm.

_______________________________

Duerme

con la mirada

fija

en el techo

del sueño.

Despierta

en lo más profundo

de sus ojos.

En la superficie

la tierra

se ha hundido,

están abiertos s

sus espacios

y ya obrando.

La muerte es suave 

y  alimenta.

Es mejor

no despertar,

el mundo real

invita al sueño

y la paz

se esfuma

 su carroza

blanca.
________________

He sleeps

with his gaze

fixed

on the ceiling

of his dream.

Wakes up

in the deepest part

of his eyes.

He has sunk

into the surface

of the earth,

the open

parts of him

are still working.

Death

is soft

and

nourishing.

It’s better

not to

wake,

the real world

invites sleep

and peace

vanishes

into its

white

hearse.

________________________

La oreja

derecha

del hijo

oye el canto

de sirenas

que no llega

a la oreja

izquierda

del padre,

atado

al mástil

de una nave

encallada

en la memoria

seco mar

que se orilla

en la bruma

invisible

de una isla

imaginada,

que flota

en el hálito

de una muerte

golosa.

_________________________

The son’s

right

ear

hears the song

of the Sirens

that doesn’t reach

the left

ear

of the father

tied

to the mast

of a ship

whitewashed

in memory,

a dry sea

that

reaches shore

in the invisible

fog

of an imagined

island

floating

in the

breath

of a hungry

death.

_____________________________

Resonó

como un goterón

de lluvia

la primera

palada

sobre

el barniz

de la madera

a punto

de ser hundida

en la tierra,

como un mensaje

 anunciando

el comienzo

de un acto

que mañana

o pasado

será repetido,

con lluvia

o sin lluvia.

________________________

It echoed
like a large
raindrop
the first shovelful
on the varnished
wood
about to be buried
in earth.
Like a message
announcing
the beginning
of an act
that tomorrow
or the next day
will be repeated,
with rain
or without rain.

Cruza

los desiertos

prometidos,

las lluvias

de fuego

golpean su féretro

endureciendo

el espíritu.

El espacio

es la boca

del lobo,

y los dioses

callan sus lenguas.

Delante de

las ruinas

exuberantes,

del aire y los golpes

y del lejano

tiempo,

va envuelto

 en la luz.

Con el día

y su falta de fe

 se alzan

sobre él

los astros.

__________________________________

He crosses

the

promised

deserts,

rains of fire

hit his

coffin

hardening

his spirit.

Space is

the wolf’s mouth,

and the gods

hold their

tongues.

In front of

abundant

ruins

of air

and shock

and from

a far-off time

he comes

clothed

in lights.

With day

and his lack of faith

the stars

rise

above him.

_______________________________

El olor

a molusco

de la tierra

lo arrecha.

Se le para

la vida,

lo cruza

humedecida

por pecho

y espalda,

como sin darse

cuenta,

tránsito

pasajero

del mundo

de abajo

al mundo

de arriba.

Él y la tierra

calatos

al filo

del catre,

en púbicos

nudos,

sorbiendo él

abajo,

la sopa negra

del alba.

El color arcilloso de ella

lo arrecha

mucho

más

de la cuenta.

Ella lo acoge,

piernas

en arco.

Cávame,

implora.

Húrgame

en el sabor

del orgasmo.

___________________________

of a

land

snail

arouses him.

A moist

life

stops him short,

crosses

his chest

and his back

as if he doesn’t

realze,

a passenger

in transit

from the world

below

to the world

above.

He and the earth

naked

on the

edge

of the

makeshift bed,

in

pubic

knots,

breathing in,

below,

the black

soup

of dawn.

Her glaucous

color

arouses him

more

and even more.

She embraces him,

legs

in a pointed arch.

Dig into me,

She begs.

Take me

in the tang

of orgasm.

____________________

Está

de espaldas

a la vida

y ésta alza

su silencio

bajo el suyo,

aún

no rebalsa

la sombra

en que se plasma,

porque

su despertar

detrás de ella

lo deslumbra

y la sequedad

del ruido

mancha

su alma,

impidiendo

que flote

su cuerpo

sobre la tierra.

Adrede

rehúsa

abrir los ojos

hecho pedazos

sobre

su ajena

angustia,

luchando grave

 fuera de si,

liberto,

separado

de la luz

y de las sombras.

________________________

He has turned

his back on life

and this intensifies

its silence

below his,

still

doesn’t

overflow

the shade

in which

it is caught.

because

his waking up

behind it

dazzles him

and the dryness

of sound

stains

his soul,

keeping

his body

from floating

above the earth.

He intentionally

refuses

to open his eyes,

made drunk

with estranged

anguish,

fighting

seriously

outside himself,

a freed man

separated

from light

and from shadows.

______________________________

Ha salido

por un segundo

de si mismo,

hacia adentro.

Más recuerda

su corazón

que el cerebro.

Aquél lo vive,

éste lo piensa.

Entre vivir

y pensar

el dolor

hay un abismo

en expansión,

una suerte de

pantalla

receptora

de lo vivido.

El personaje

difunto

que es él

se entrevera

con sus otros

y se levanta hondo.

Jura y perjura

la defensa

ante el Juez,

que su vida

ha sido

hermosa.

El personaje

yace

de barriga

con la mirada

puesta

en el ridículo

y la vergüenza,

y acaso

en algo más,

¡quién sabe!

_______________________________

He has left

himself

for a second,

turning inward.

He remembers his

heart more

than his brain.

One lives it,

the other thinks it.

Between living

and thinking of

the pain

there is an expanding

chasm,

a good fortune

of a screen

receiving

what is lived.

The dead

individual

that he is

interchanges

with his others

and rises

deep.

He swears and perjures

his defense

to the judge

that his life

has been beautiful.

The individual

lies

on his belly

his gaze set on

the ridiculous

and shame

and perhaps

in something else,

who knows!

_______________________________

Como si fuese

una raíz

de la cual crece

el cuerpo,

desenmascarado

el rostro,

puro hueso,

en uno de tantos.

Un fondo

negro

en los ojos

besa

la luz

de un sol

de paisaje,

alumbrando

un tiempo

congelado

en el retrovisor

de la vida

que se muestra

más cerca

de lo que parece.

Rompen

la monotonía

del

camino,

tramos

de recuerdos,

sueños

que marean

tornándolo

en otro.

_________________________________

As if it were

a root

from which

the body

grows,

the face unmasked

to pure bone,

one of many.

a black

depth

in the eyes

kisses

light

from a sun

passing by

lighting up

a frozen

time

in life’s

rearview mirror

where objects

are closer

than they appear.

Breaking

the monotony

of the back

road

are stretches

of memory,

dreams

that sicken him

taking him for

another

_____________________

Está

en sus últimas,

de pie

delante

de la puerta

que acaba

de cerrársele,

aferrado

como un perro

a sus huesos.

Ha visto

un prado verde

y una colita

como de mariposa

tentándolo.

Es de noche,

ella ha corrido

sobre

sus cuatro

patitas.

Él la persigue

entre las rosas

de un jardín

que florece

donde posa

los ojos,

olfateando

el amor

en fuga.

Despierto

en plena noche,

¡zas!

el bosque

abrió

la boca.

________________________

He is

nearing the end,

standing

in front of

the door

that has just

closed on him,

tied

like a dog

clinging

to its bones.

He has seen

a green meadow

and a small hill,

like a butterfly

tempting him.

It is night,

it has run

on

 four

little feet.

He follows it

among the roses

of a garden

flourishing

where the eyes

come to rest,

smelling

love in the flight.

I waken

n the middle

of the night,

Presto!

The forest

opened

its mouth,

____________________________

Hay un mundo

dentro

del mundo

sin

puertas y

sin

ventanas.

Ni un solo

camino

lleva

 a ese mundo.

El camino

es el mundo

Una pared

se alza

del aire

hacia la nada,

y un solo árbol.

_________________

There is

a world

inside

the world

without

doors

and without

windows.

No single

road

leads

to that

world.

The road

is the world.

A wall

rises

from the air, toward

nothingness

and a single tree.

____________________________

Se arrastra

por un túnel

acolchado,

bajo

y angosto.

A veces timbra

un teléfono

o se prende

un televisor

o alguien pregunta

si ya le traen

el almuerzo.

Ya no es posible

el hambre,

dice que no.

Quiere

ponerse en pie

mejor,

cuidándose

de no caer

en sus recuerdos,

de no sangrar

sobre

sus propios.

huesos.

Una vez,

en lo oscuro,

permaneció

con los ojos

bien abiertos,

congelado

__________________________________

He crawls

through a

padded,

low

and narrow

tunnel.

At times

a telephone rings

or a television

is turned on

or someone

asks

if he has already

had his lunch.

And hunger

is no longer

possible,

says no.

He wants

to stand up

straighter,

taking care

not to fall

into

his memories,

not to bleed

on his own

bones.

Once,

in the dark,

he remained

with his eyes

wide

open,

frozen

_______________________________

Se va,

se va

la muerte,

se va

con el enterrador,

y en esa muerte

que cruza

el día,

se va,

se va

el amor.

Se va,

se va

el amor,

se va

con el remador,

y en ese amor

que cruza

la noche,

se va,

se va

el dolor.

Se va,

se va

el dolor,

se va

con la mediadora,

y en ese dolor

que cruza

la muerte,

se van

se van

las horas.

Se van,

se van

la horas,

se van

con la segadora,

y en esas horas

que cruzan

el sol,

se va,

se va

la vida.

Se va,

se va

la vida,

se va

con la guadañera,

y en esa vida

que cruza.

la sombra,

se va,

se va

la nada

(Variación de “Se va la lancha”, canción de Francisco Bastardi)

_____________________________

It goes away,

goes away,

death does,

goes away

with the gravedigger,

and in that death

that crosses

the day

it goes away,

goes away

love does.

It goes away

with the oarsman

and in that love

that crosses

the night,

it goes away,

goes away,

the pain does.

It goes away,

goes away,

the pain,

goes away

with the midwife

and in this pain

crosses

death,

they go away

go away

the hours do.

They go away,

go away,

the hours do,

go away

with the farmwife.

And in those hours

that cross

the sun

it goes away,

goes away,

life does.

It goes away,

goes away,

life does,

goes away

with the housewife

and in this life

that crosses

the shadow.

it goes,

it goes,

nothing

(Variation of “Se va la lancha”, a song by Francisco Bastardi)

___________________________________

Ido

el muerto,

quedaron los vivos

de pie

ante la fosa

ya cerrada.

Rodeadas

de cielo,

flotaban por ahí

las palabras,

siempre

las mismas.

Gestos de dolor

-sin duda-,

alguno

de hastío

por lo ya vivido,

revoloteando

de un cuerpo

a otro,

pronto

a ser llamados,

no se sabe

por quién

ni cuándo.

Propios y ajenos

se miraban,

agazapados.

De este lado

una sonrisa sabia,

vagos abrazos.

Del otro,

finas agujas

de cristal

en las mejillas,

mas allá

un llanto

hacia adentro,

bien roto.

Estaban

también

las miradas,

de esas

que engañan

al ojo.

____________________________________

With the

dead man

gone,

the living

stand

around the grave

already covered.

Surrounded

by sky,

always

the same words

float by.

Gestures

of grief

— for sure,

some of them

weariness

for a past life,

turning

from one body

to another

soon

to be called,

not known

when

or by whom.

Family and strangers

look at each other,

huddled together.

On one side

a knowing smile,

weak hugs.

On the other,

fine crystal

needles

roll down their cheeks,

farther off

a cry

turning inward,

completely broken.

There are

also

glances

of those

who catch

your eye.

__________________________________

Las lágrimas

purificaron

el cuerpo

desnudo

del cadáver.

Nadie se opuso.

Mas bien

bailaron

hasta la madrugada

para sus adentros,

cada uno

en su propio ritmo.

Causó

furor

el

“Por fin te fuiste”,

interpretado por la banda

más de tres veces.

Los pies

se movieron

como

los de cualquier

bailarín

de barrio.

A través

de la bruma

se jaraneó

la muerte,

sentada en el cajón,

rasgueando

en la guitarra

la cuerda floja

del amanecer.

Jugaba su suerte

en el aire

una fila

de recuerdos,

esperando turno

para olvidarse.

No se le ocurrió

abrirles

la puerta

a nadie.

Ah, el sueño

abría

su bocaza.

_________________________________

Tears

purified

the naked

body

of the cadaver.

No one

objected.

Instead, they danced

until dawn

each to their own

internal rhythm.

“At last, you’ve gone,”

replayed

more than three times

by the band

sparked an uproar.

Feet

moved

like those of

any barrio

dancer.

Through a fog,

death celebrated,

seated

on the box

plucking

a loose string

of dawn

on a guitar.

It played its luck

in the air,

a string

of memories

waiting their turn

to be forgotten.

It didn’t occur

to death              

to close the door

on anyone.

Ah, the dream

was opening

its big mouth.

________________________________

En el postrer

tic tac

del corazón,

la curiosidad

del más allá

llegó

a su fin.

Estaba preparado

para contar,

como prontos,

los días

que le quedaron,

restos de un camino

no siempre

reconocido

en la última

parada.

Le pesó

al corazón

no tenerlo

resuelto.

No hubo nadie

que hubiese

imaginado

alguna vez

su propio

cuerpo

dentro

del ataúd

en una fosa

_________________________

In the final

tick-tock

of his heart,

curiosity

about the great beyond

came

to an end.

He was ready

to count,

as quickly as he could

the days left to him,

an abandoned road

not always clear

where it ended.

Having no answers

burdened his heart.

Nobody

could ever

have imagined

his own

body

in the coffin

in a grave.

_________________________________

Ante

la muerte

saquémonos

el sombrero,

venia

de por medio,

ojos

sumidos

en el pecho.

Ninguna

sonrisa,

ningún gesto

de manos.

Ante

la vida,

calcémonoslo

hasta

los ojos,

mirando

por el rabillo

de izquierda

a derecha.

Una que otra

risita,

ninguna

aparatosa.

Andemos

y sigamos

andando.

Al final,

saquémonoslo

con las dos

manos,

estrujémoslo

contra

el corazón,

ojos sumidos

en el vacío,

como

avergonzados.

__________________________________

Facing death

let’s remove

our hats,

it was coming

down the middle,

eyes

dropped

to our chest.

No smile,

no hand

gestures.

Facing life,

let’s harden

our eyes,

we look

sideways

from left to right.

One little

laugh

or another

neither obvious.

Let’s walk

and let’s keep on

walking.

In the end,

let’s take off our hat

with both

hands,

hold it tightly

against

our heart,

eyes dropped

into emptiness

as if we were

ashamed.

_____________________________

El hilo

de la vida

se ensarta

en el ojo

de la muerte.

Cose,

puntada

tras puntada,

los blancos sudarios

de la memoria.

Se puede ver

los huesos,

brillosos,

la calavera

irreconocible.

Esos ojos

que no ven

no son

sus ojos.

Hay en ellos

el velo

de una mirada

que alguna vez

vio algo.

Quizás

una zanja

cavada

con la orina

del sepulturero.

Fila de desperdicios

zumbándole

en los oídos,

un sueño largo,

pasando

por el ojo

de la vida.

cual hilo 

rojo, 

retorcido. 

________________________________________________

The thread of life

stitches

through the eye

of death.

It sews,

stich

after stich,

the white

shrouds

of memory.

The bones

are visible,

shiny,

the skull

unrecognizable.

Those eyes

that do not see

are not

his eyes.

There is in them,

the veil

of a gaze

that once

saw something.

Perhaps a

tunnel

dug out by the urine

of the gravedigger.

A line of garbage

buzzing

in his ears,

a long dream,

passing through

the eye

of life,

like a red,

twisted

thread.

_____________________________________________________________

Algunos libros de Isaac Goldemberg/Some of the Books by Isaac Goldemberg

___________________________________________________________________________________