Myth, Epic, and Drama in two Contemporary Poets: Juan Gelman and Homero Aridjis

Abstract

This article inquiries about the different explorations carried out by two contemporary poets, the Argentine Juan Gelman and the Mexican Homero Aridjis, of myths (classic and modern), epic history (or national history) and drama (understood in its theatrical dimension). All this presumes a work by the creators from the perspective of what T.S. Eliot named «historical sense » and Milan Kundera called «consciousness of continuity» (conscience de continuité). Each author assimilates and updates the tradition until he builds a personal and own poetics, which definitely requires the reader’s solidary collaboration based on the idea of a «shared world». After all, poetry is fiction made up of diverse fictions, which is no small feat. It is worth remembering that the Sapiens survived their contemporaries the Neanderthals thanks to their ability to create imaginary worlds such as myths, epic history or theatrical masks.