The Brecht Forum, the National Writers Union and La Casa Azul bookstore have come together to celebrate the life and work of Pablo Neruda and Luís Reyes Rivera, two great poets with different styles yet united by their connection to the masses and their involvement in the fight against fascism, racism, colonialism and imperialism.
They made music with words; Neruda's echoing the pulse of the Andes, Reyes Rivera's, the African riffs of jazz. Their poetry covered every significant event of the 20th century, from the Russian Revolution, the Spanish Civil war, the liberation struggles in Africa and Latin America to the Civil Rights Movement.
Pablo Neruda became known as a poet as a teenager. He wrote in a variety of styles including surrealist poems, historical epics, love poems and political manifestos. In 1945 he appeared in a stadium in San Paulo to read in honor of the Brazilian revolutionary communist leader, Luis Carlos Prestes to 100,000 people. He occupied many diplomatic positions and once served as senator for the Chilean communist party. In 1971 he received the Nobel Prize for literature.
Poet/essayist, teacher, political activist, radio host, long-time member of the NWU, Louis Reyes Rivera liked to be known as the Janitor of History. He taught Pan-African, African-American, Caribbean and Puerto Rican literature and history to generations of City College students, and was the recipient of over 20 awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award (1995). He appeared in Jazz clubs and festivals with The Sun Ra All-Stars Project, Ahmed Abdullah's Diaspora, and his own band, The Jazzoets.
His Black Consciousness Program Rocked the Bay Area like no other black panthers black arts black studies kwanza Khalid Ab...
No comments:
Post a Comment