The latest publications of rosario castellanos arrived, with his death, in 1974. have practically passed 50 years that we do not read anything —nothing new, at least— of the renowned Chiapas writer. Sure, her work remains as current as it was in the last century, but, Where do we start?
A question so basic that it causes you problems to those who have never read itas to those who have read all his works. What would happen, then, if we asked the author directly? If we dialogue with what she left us written?
Well, that enviable conversation appears in a new book called ‘Matter that burns’of Sara Uribe and illustrated by Veronica Gerberwhat in 2023 —almost 100 years after the birth of Rosario Castellanos— invites us to resume a conversation that we had pending with the writer born in Comitán.
Conversing with Rosario Castellanos
Sara Uribe told us what happened year and a half reading all the work of rosario castellanos. “It was something nice to be able to focus on it, spend the confinement with Rosario Castellanos”he explained.
The result is an almost encyclopedic book of poetry, narrative, theater, essays, articles and even letters published by Spaniards. A thorough investigation of his life, through his own words; but not believe that it is an academic text.
in the pages of ‘Matter that burns’ they will find that is full of questions; memories of a conversation that was pending… that of a conversation that is just beginning every time someone approaches their texts again. “It caused me concern that his personal life was told in a very blunt way, in ways that we cannot guarantee,” Uribe account, “I rather wanted to ask them.”
“That Rosario Castellanos answers the questions within her work and that the readers generate their own questions”
Sara Uribeauthor of ‘Matter that burns’
Castellanos It was a thinker who questioned the reality of her environment or the structures that surrounded her. Being true to her memory, why not question her too?
Sara Uribe y Veronica Gerber explain that this space is just that, a book “to share her life and work (…) to talk with her, to question her and question her and suggest that you can do it too.”
Upon entering its pages, you will see that ‘Matter that burns’ is illustrated -among other things- with lampsa luck of memory of his death; but also a different look at what we knew of the work of Rosario Castellanos. “The lamp is very present in his work, particularly in poetry”Verónica Gerber tells us. “The lamp serves as this object that is capable of giving light, of being turned off. It is also connected with the deep gaze of the domestic environment and the most common objects”.
“The lamp is connected with his death, but he also passed through it in life”
Veronica Gerberillustrator of ‘Matter that burns’
The illustrations are also a memory of the designs of Chiapas or full of keyscon glyphs y Meanings to get closer to the writer’s work.
How to start reading Rosario Castellanos?
“It was impossible to decide to stay only with some”, account Sara Uribe of his decision to include in this book all the works of Rosario Castellanos. “It’s not easy for someone to read everything, so think about offering readers small glimpses; that they could have a little taste, to decide which ones they do want to enter ”.
For those who have read rosario castellanos and they were left with pending questions, as for those who want to meet her and talk to her for the first time —Who is Rosario Castellanos?—it is worth taking a dive into ‘Matter that burns‘.
‘Matter that burns’ is written by Sara Uribeillustrated by Veronica Gerber and published by the publisher Lumen.
