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Este informe no está disponible en español. Latino.comPuerto Rican Poet Unites San Juan And New Yorkby ROBERT WADDELLNovember 28, 2000
On a recent cold fall day, Poet Gallego sat shivering in an East Harlem courtyard. His poetry, however, is like a warm, tropical day in his native Puerto Rico. At a poetry reading at Edwin's Cafe in El Barrio, he was the main attraction. The room filled with new poets, veterans and spoken word aficionados. Gallego, born Jose Raul Gonzalez, recently came to New York City to promote his first book of poetry, "Barrunto" published by Isla Negra. One of the most celebrated and important poets of Puerto Rico, Gallego looks to New York poets for inspiration. He calls them more fierce and powerful than Puerto Rican poets. Like a hip-hop rapper, he looks to the urban landscape of San Juan, Puerto Rico for material to write about. He calls New York poets like Mariposa, Flaco Navajo, Hector Rivera and Willie Perdomo his inspiring new blood of Nuyorican poetry. "Poetry in New York is united within me," he said. "Here people sweat poetry from their pores." In the poetry of "Barrunto" he finds himself caught between the islands of Puerto Rico and New York. There are snippets of salsa, his family, the streets and the body politic of Puerto Rico. "My metaphors, my word play, entering through love and coming out of the city," said Gallego of his poetry. "My poems are strong; they move and they're moving." He said that what differentiates Puerto Rican poetry from New York poetry is that the grandeur of the island makes island writing slower. But in Gallego's poetry, he overlooks the island's beautiful beaches, swaying palm trees and lovely women. Instead, he focuses on the harsher urban landscape for imagery and poetic content. "What gets me is that he has that urban feeling. He's so Nuyorican," said poet Flaco Navaja. "This is great spoken and written poetry. He's ultra-talented and he's a humble, great guy." Gallego's poetry is a lot like hip-hop, but more literary. His voice resounds on stage and on the page with his rage. Poet Lady Lee Andrews of Puerto Rico said Gallego's poetry was full of feeling for people and the streets. "His work will be considered a part of Puerto Rico's history," she said. "His writing is really, really strong." Gallego hopes his audience connects with his representation of San Juan as a breathing, living entity. "The city, the poetry it's all alive and its dead," said Gallego. "What's dead, we revive it in poetry." Puerto Rican poet Gallego is promoting his first book of poetry, "Barrunto," published by Isla Negra.
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(Photo / Robert Waddell)