Chilean Young Author’s ‘Propétides’ Wins Miguel Hernández International Poetry Prize and Hits Local Bookstores

Original article: Libro de joven autora chilena ganador del Premio Internacional de Poesía Miguel Hernández llega a librerías locales

«At times nostalgic and melancholic, yet always crafting coherent poems filled with vitalist and hopeful arguments.» These words from Francisco Díez de Revenga, president of the jury for the Miguel Hernández International Poetry Prize, refer to Chilean poet Micaela Paredes, who won the award in 2024 for her work Propétides.

Now, this remarkable collection consisting of 43 poems is making its debut in Chilean bookstores through La Esporádica Editorial, marking it as the third title from this emerging publishing house. It is also the first edition of the book published in Latin America and the second title in the Espora Azul series, which previously released the complete poetry of Raquel Jodorowsky.

Divided into four chapters and accompanied by illustrations from artist Danila Ilabaca, the poems in Propétides address the longings of women’s voices concerning freedom, the body, desire, and the re-examination of certain modes of existence.

As the author explains, this concern «comes from the need to re-embody archetypes as living forms, updated and enriched in the present by what it demands of us.»

Thus, armed with this corpus, she presented her proposal to the prestigious literary competition. Regarding her award, the poet mentions, «It was both unusual and gratifying to receive it, especially because it allowed me to publish the book and let the poems follow their own paths in the encounter and dialogue that reading fosters.»

Using Mythology to Address the Present

The title of the book, Propétides, refers to the free women who, by refusing to worship the goddess of Love, were ‘condemned’ to the ungovernable lust of their bodies, ultimately turning them into stone.

For the author, this literary device relates to a «synchrony that allowed for the reading of Ovid during the pandemic. That encounter opened a flood of images and impulses, transforming into a free, intuitive, and sometimes ironic dialogue with the source.»

Regarding the reading of the poetry collection, Spanish philologist, poet, and translator Sara Martínez Navarro notes that «one might think that Propétides could be danced, reminiscent of the Ménades, as we celebrate Medusa’s wrath, Arachne’s revenge, and Venus’s reproaches to Pygmalion. Micaela engages us through a voice capable of giving birth to unheard voices, yet always her own, inviting us to witness the discovery of myth as a means to tell our own story.»

Thus, Sara Martínez adds, «this book encapsulates many stories that are inseparable from a commitment to life and poetry, and life within poetry.»

El Ciudadano