Martín Adán (

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of t ...

, October 27, 1908 - January 29, 1985), pseudonym of Rafael de la Fuente Benavides, was a

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

vian

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wr ...

whose body of work is notable for its

hermeticism Hermeticism, or Hermetism, is a philosophical system that is primarily based on the purported teachings of Hermes Trismegistus (a legendary Hellenistic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth). These teachings are containe ...

and

metaphysical Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of consci ...

depth. From a very young age Adán demonstrated great literary talent (talent he shared with classmates

Emilio Adolfo Westphalen Emilio may refer to: * Emilio Navaira, a Mexican-American singer often called "Emilio" * Emilio Piazza Memorial School, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State * Emilio (given name) * ''Emilio'' (film), a 2008 film by Kim Jorgensen See also * Emílio ...

( ES) and Estuardo Núñez ( ES)). As time passed, he lived with increasing economic difficulty and suffered from serious alcoholism. A good part of his final years were spent in sanitariums, until his death in 1985. The American

Beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ...

poet

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Genera ...

showed interest in Adán's work and in the writer himself. Taking advantage of his trip to Peru where he planned to study the

ayahuasca AyahuascaPronounced as in the UK and in the US. Also occasionally known in English as ''ayaguasca'' ( Spanish-derived), ''aioasca'' (Brazilian Portuguese-derived), or as ''yagé'', pronounced or . Etymologically, all forms but ''yagé'' desce ...

, Ginsberg was able to interview Martín Adán. He attended the

Deutsche Schule Alexander von Humboldt Lima ''Deutsche Schule Alexander von Humboldt Lima'' ( es, Colegio Peruano Alemán Alexander von Humboldt) is a German international school with two campuses in Lima, Peru: one in Miraflores and one in Surco, with a recreational centre in Huampaní. ...

(Colegio Peruano-Alemán Alexander von Humboldt).Novak, Fabián. ''Las relaciones entre el Perú y Alemania, 1828-2003'' (Serie Política exterior peruana). Fondo Editorial PUCP, 2004. , 9789972426346. p
45
He made his first studies entering to the school at San Jose de Cluny of Barranco. He was educated at the

National University of San Marcos The National University of San Marcos ( es, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, link=no, UNMSM) is a public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. It is considered the most important, recognized and representative educ ...

(UNMSM) and also at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP).

Work

Martín Adan's first book was the novel ''La casa de cartón'' (''The Cardboard House''). Published in 1928 when the author was only 20 years old, ''The Cardboard House'' was influenced by the

Avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

and is one of the best examples of Peruvian narrative of its time. The novel was told through the paintings of a young man's experiences and reflections and was notable for evoking the district of Lima, Barranco. ''The Cardboard Houses innovative theme and structure can, in some ways, be considered precursorial to novels of the literary boom in Latin America. The remainder of Adán's work was

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings ...

. It stands out for a profundity of philosophical reflection, that sinks into the mysteries of what is eternal and transcendent. His poetry incorporates a series of images and hermetic, symbolic

metaphors A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...

(among them, notably, the

rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can b ...

). Adán's poetry mixes novel uses of language with traditional poetic forms like the

sonnet A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's inventio ...

. Reality and identity are also common themes in his poetry. With his body of poetry, Adán tried to achieve a "''creación total''" (total creation) through "''la poesía absoluta''" (absolute poetry) and affirm the divine power and omnipotence of the poet who creates realities.

Books of poetry

*''La Rosa de la Espinela'' / (1939) *''Sonetos a la Rosa'' (1931-1942) *''Travesía de Extramares'' (1950) *''Escrito a Ciegas'' (1961) *''La Mano Desasida, Canto a Machupicchu'' (1964) *''La Piedra Absoluta'' (1966) *''Mi Darío'' (1966-1967) *''Diario de Poeta'' (1966-1973) *''Antología'' (1989)

References

Sources

*This entry was created as a translation of Martín Adán's entry in the Spanish Language Wikipedia.
Martín Adán
recorded at the Library of Congress for the Hispanic Division's audio literary archive on September 13, 1958. {{DEFAULTSORT:Adan, Martin 1908 births 1985 deaths Peruvian people of Spanish descent 20th-century Peruvian poets Writers from Lima Peruvian male poets Peruvian novelists Male novelists 20th-century male writers National University of San Marcos alumni 20th-century pseudonymous writers