HAUS FÜR POESIE

The seven monsters in the title come from Guaraní mythology, whose origins date back long before the European colonization of South America. These figures are still an important part of Paraguayan folklore today, even though their stories have been diluted over the centuries through written records by missionaries and colonial officials.

In her book, García attempts a revitalization by letting the monsters speak for themselves and reinterpreting their original myth from a feminist perspective. In doing so, she approaches the stigmatized creatures with compassion: “how does one / look beyond / the horror to see the broken / heart within”. At the same time, she traces their fate back to the mother figure Keraná, the sleeping beauty who is abducted and impregnated by the evil spirit Tau. Her children bear names such as Teju Jagua or Mbói Tu’ĩ. They are chimera-like beings with dog or parrot heads, hybrids of various animals—fantastical characters with more attributes than any Marvel villain: “cursed with / scales, fang / and fear”. García herself describes her project as follows: “Seven Legendary Monsters delves into the psyche of humanity to beg the question, what if the true monsters live within us all?”

The poems of the event were translated specifically for Poesiefestival Berlin.

Clara Elena García in conversation with Ricardo Domeneck

The event takes place in English.