Abstract
Yaxkin Melchy is a young self-published Mexican poet and founding member of the Red de los poetas salvajes [Savage Poets’ Network], an online community of emerging poets and artists based in Mexico City. This article reflects upon the process of translating Yaxkin’s most recent book of poetry, published in 2012, entitled Los Planetas [The Planets]. It concludes with a sample of four translated poems.
Yaxkin’s work is remarkable for many reasons. Its online context allows for the inclusion of large-scale visual artwork alongside the poetry, as well as active links to videos and other media, and provides unique opportunities for reader interactivity. The poetry also contains a significant degree of wordplay and intertextuality, combining innovative and novel language use with smatterings of scientific jargon, hypnagogic space fantasies, and a metaliterary penchant for self-reflection. The result is a bizarre and scathing critique of hypermodern society; a truly unique cosmos populated by aliens, dinosaurs, poets and angels.
Yaxkin’s work is remarkable for many reasons. Its online context allows for the inclusion of large-scale visual artwork alongside the poetry, as well as active links to videos and other media, and provides unique opportunities for reader interactivity. The poetry also contains a significant degree of wordplay and intertextuality, combining innovative and novel language use with smatterings of scientific jargon, hypnagogic space fantasies, and a metaliterary penchant for self-reflection. The result is a bizarre and scathing critique of hypermodern society; a truly unique cosmos populated by aliens, dinosaurs, poets and angels.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 42-55 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | The AALITRA Review |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 |