Uncomfortable place.
Poetry and Society in Parra, Lihn, and Martínez

It is well known that the relationship between poetry and society in modernity has not been satisfactory; rather, a reasoned and constant disagreement has prevailed, going through tense periods of romantic reconciliation and individualist separation, and violent censorship or nationalist co-optation. This book is structured around this uncomfortable relationship between poetry and society in three Chilean authors: Nicanor Parra (1914), Enrique Lihn (1929-1988), and Juan Luis Martínez (1942-1993). Their works constitute a critical triad in Chilean poetry that has not only influenced later generations but has also changed the way national literature is understood and, perhaps, also the way society itself is read.