One of the best-known poems by Concha Mendez: "Me gusta andar de noche"
One of the best-known poems by noted Spanish poet Concha Mendez is "Me gusta andar de noche." The poem, which Mendez wrote while living in exile in Cuba, first appeared in the 1939 novel El ciervo herido (The Injured Deer). Despite being only two verses long, the poetry grabs the reader's attention with its straightforward, honest approach that is uncommon among female writers. Mendez describes the experience of walking down the street at night in these two paragraphs so vividly that the viewer feels as though s/he is actually there. The poem describes an experience of safety and calm that seems to stretch through time, even though the night is only a few hours, and a walk even shorter. This unique style of describing experiences in an intimate yet real manner is what sets Mendez apart from other poets of her time.
The hope and dream of a peaceful nighttime experience
Other than the literal meaning of the poem, Mendez tries to describe a situation that may have only existed in her hopes and dreams that she seemed to be longing for. She describes the feeling of walking down the street at night as a wonderful experience probably because at the time it was almost impossible to be outdoors at night due to the political unrest in her home country, Spain. With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, it was almost impossible to have a moment of peace in the streets at night without risking one’s life. Mendez had been forced to exile fearing for her life, and it can be assumed that she wrote the poem in yearning for a chance to walk the streets without fear of political violence.
A reminiscence of pre-war times
Alternatively, it can be assumed that the author was reminiscing on the moments in Spain before the Civil War when it was safe to walk outdoors not only for her but also other Spanish citizens. The poem is written in the past tense, implying that the author had already experienced the feeling of passing “through an immense world” where “the streets are longer, the time also grows” (Mendez, 79). Regardless of whether the author had already experienced the peaceful feeling of walking the streets at night or was simply yearning, the impact of the message is similar. The reader admires this situation and wishes they could experience the same emotions, which was denied to them by the state of political affairs. Although the poem is simple and intimate at face value, it has a strong message to the readers that peace and safety are always preferred to war and violence.
The Impact of the Spanish Civil War on Poetry and Literature
The Spanish Civil War greatly influenced the course of poetry and literature in Spain, both before and after its completion. Before the war, there was political instability caused by the dissatisfaction of the people with the regime. Intellectuals, in particular, played an important role through education and advocating democracy and freedom of speech. The Republicans who proposed political reforms that would have reduced the power of the existing government significantly took up the new idea of democracy and freedom. However, their efforts were not tolerated and violence was constantly used to create unrest among the people and the Republicans. Eventually, a military coup occurred in Morocco, officially started the war in 1936. When the war began, many poets and other intellectuals were targeted by the government so that most of them fled to other countries to seek asylum, including Mendez. However, being away from Spain did not prevent them from participating in the cultural development of their home country.
Ultimately, the Nationalists won the war by taking control over major cities such as Barcelona, Madrid, and Bilbao and Valencia. Fransisco Franco continued to rule the country for the next 36 years up to his death in 1975. During Franco’s regime, all the poets and other influential people who were in exile could not return to Spain and had to carry on with their work in the countries where they had been granted asylum. Mendez, for instance, did not return to Spain and died in Mexico in 1986. Although the Nationalists had won the war, they contributed significantly to the growth and development of Spanish art and literature. For example, famous painters such as Pablo Picasso (Timothy, 129) and Joan Miro created a lot of canvas depicting the impact of the war. Other artists including sculptors, cartoonists, book authors, and filmmakers also produced various forms of art in response to the destructive effect of the civil war, the struggle for democracy, and the oppressive Franco regime.
In Conclusion
In summary, "Me gusta andar de noche" follows Mendez’s artistic style of expressing ideas in an intimate and sincere approach. She uses simple language to create an experience in the reader’s mind, which can be interpreted in several ways, both literal and inferred. The poem may be literally describing a walk down the street at night, although given the author’s situation, there is a higher chance that she was referring to something personal, and related to freedom and liberty. Overall, the poem creates an image in the mind of the reader that is the opposite of what was happening in her country at the time. The symbolism gives the reader hope that someday it will be normal to walk the streets at night without fear.
Works Cited
Clark, Timothy J. Picasso and truth: from cubism to guernica. Vol. 58. Princeton University Press, 2013. Print.
Méndez, Concha. Antología Poética. México, D.F: Joaquín Mortiz, 1976. Print.
