Glimpses of Mexico in La realidad y el deseo: “El elegido” by Luis Cernuda

Abstract

The following article explores Mexico’s presence in Luis Cernuda’s poetry. Even before moving to the New World, the poet had already written “Quetzalcóatl”, a composition in which he reflected on history, mythology, and exile. His presence in Mexico widened his knowledge of the country and deepened his interest and love. Variaciones sobre tema mexicano is usually cited to exemplify this trend. Even though Mexico’s presence in La realidad y el deseo might seem not that significant, poems like “El elegido” will show us otherwise. By writing “El elegido”, Cernuda transformed history and myth into poetry. This article showcases the texts referenced by the poet in “El elegido” and the literary tradition he decided to follow. Beyond this, our investigation underlines the ways in which Cernuda transformed images and symbolisms from another culture and merged them into his own personal poetic discourse.