Xela the artnaut. An analysis of her interest in linking poetry to other arts

Abstract

Xela Arias displayed a constant interest, throughout her career, in transcending classical literary formats and seeking a direct impact for her poetry by connecting it with other arts. The various creative dialogues that the writer established with other authors account for this concern. Three in particular stand out: the dialogue she maintained with the painter Xosé Guillermo, embodied in the design of the first edition of Denuncia do equilibrio [Condemnation of the Equilibrium] (1986); with the photographer Xulio Gil, which resulted in a major project of contemporary Galician culture, Tigres coma cabalos [Tigers For Horses] (1990), and with the rock group Desertores, for whose records she wrote lyrics: El desertor [The Deserter] (1991) and El vicio de la carne [The Vice of the Flesh] (1994). The celebration of Galician Literature Day ensured that this connection that Xela Arias was so interested in maintaining with other artists has endured until the present. One of the clearest examples is the book Xela Arias. Palabra á intemperie (2021) [Xela Arias. Words Out in the Open], in which Emma Pedreira and Laura Romero dialogue directly with her original work as a poet.