Rony Garrido: Discussion of Guatemalan Poet, Feb. 13

Wednesday, February 13
“Luz Méndez de la Vega´s struggle with faith in her collection of poetry Eva sin Dios (Godless Eve): A psychodynamic perspective”
Rony Garrido, International Languages, Literatures and Cultures 
Humanities Center Tertulia, Trinity 100, 5:00 pm

The cultural fabric of Guatemalan society is one in which women writers must struggle to establish a literary reputation, as is the case in most of Latin America.  Luz Méndez de la Vega has been no exception; however, she made her mark with her first collection of poetry Eva sin Dios (Eve without God, 1979). This book vividly illustrates the urgent need for women to break away from the patriarchal impositions handed down from the Judeo-Christian God.  Eva sin Dios constitutes a defiant work of art not only because of its supposed atheism but also for allowing women a new voice, a voice that comes out of the silence to which it had been condemned by an authoritative religious tradition.  From a psychological perspective, Eva sin Dios can be seen as the author´s journey into herself, where the poems serve as a psychodynamic self-exploration and, ironically, as a rediscovery of the therapeutic value of faith.