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An archive for translated correspondence between Spanish poets and artists! Sister website to /lorca, my archive for translated Spanish poetry.

I will mostly translate correspondence between Federico García Lorca and Salvador Dalí or between Gregorio Prieto and Vicente Aleixandre.

The translated letters are located underneath the original ones, separated by a line. If there are any footnotes or notes I, the translator, wish to include in a particular letter, they will be located under the translation and preceded by an indicator.

Disclaimers

1. Translations for particularly long/untranscribed letters will almost never be in full. Feel free to request them through my Atabook. 2. Place names only reflect cultural and administrative regions relevant to the authors’ contexts. 3. This page is a WIP.

FAQ/directory

Dalí → Lorca Jul 1928 | "Tú eres una borrasca cristiana..."

Lorca → Dalí

Aleixandre → Prieto Dec? 1928? | "Creo que estás en casa y trabajando..."
Aug 1927 | "Todo llega, mi carta también llega."

Cadaqués (Catalunya), Jul 1928.

(…) Tú eres una borrasca cristiana y necesitas de mi paganismo. La última temporada en Madrid te entregaste a lo que no te debiste entregar nunca. Yo iré buscarte para hacerte una cura de mar. Será invierno y encenderemos lumbre. Las pobres bestias estarán ateridas. Tú te acordarás que eres inventor de cosas maravillosas y viviremos juntos con una maquina de retratar (…)

Salvador Dalí.

(...) You are a Christian storm and are in need of my paganism. At your last stay in Madrid you gave yourself to what you should have never given yourself. I will go find you to make you a cure from the sea. It will be winter and we will light up some fire. The poor beasts will be stiff from the cold. You will remember that you are an inventor of marvelous things and we will live together alongside a portrait-making machine (...)

Salvador Dalí.

Translator's note: This letter is not complete.

Parque Metropolitano (México), Dec? 1928?¹

Querido Gregorio: Creo que estás en casa y trabajando, ¿pero y yo?
Yo también te necesito. ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que no hablamos? Meses quizá, desde mediados de diciembre. Esto no puede ser; no, Gregorio. ¿Recibiste mi "Reloj"? ¿Estaba en hora? Yo quisiera que te viera, por lo menos que te viniera, con la misma claridad de poesía en tu vida. Ayer terminé de corregir las pruebas de mi “Ámbito”. ¡Por fin!
Allí puse, en la esfera radiante del Reloj: A Gregorio Prieto. Con letras perdurables, rematando tu bello nombre.

Dear Gregorio: I believe that you are at home and working. But what about me? I also need you.
How much has it been since we haven't talked? Months, perhaps, since the middle of December. This can't be; no, Gregorio. Did you receive my “Reloj²”? Did it arrive on time? I wanted it to see you, at least for it to get to you, with the same clarity as the poetry within your [daily] life.
Yesterday, I got done revising the drafts for my “Ámbito”³. At last!
There I wrote, within the radiant sphere of Reloj²: “For Gregorio Prieto.” With perdurable letters, remarking your beautiful name.

¹ Unconfirmed date.
² Poem by Vicente Aleixandre.
³ Book by Vicente Aleixandre.
Note: Incomplete translation.

Miraflores de la Sierra (Madrid), 10th Aug 1927.

Mi querido Gregorio:
Todo llega, mi carta también llega. ¿Estás en Madrid? ¿Cómo estás? ¿Y ya del todo bien? ¡Ojalá! No te he olvidado.
Cada día te quería escribir, siempre. Pero uno se distrae, pasa el día; un cielo azul, un cielo malva, unas nubes, aquel pájaro ¡y el día ha pasado! Hoy fue la mañana como los ojos. Ni azules, ni malvas, ni fucsias; nada de color. Mis paredes blancas, y a escribir. Mis paredes blancas, ¡cuán cerca de separarnos! El aire de mi cuarto, algo junto de tiempo. En él mi cuerpo, mi espíritu, para escribirte. ¿Te acuerdas?
¿Y qué decirte? Decirte que aquí han sido muchos días (...)

My dear Gregorio:
Everything arrives, my letter also arrives. Are you in Madrid? How are you feeling? All good now? I hope! I have not forgotten you.
Every day I wanted to write to you, always. But one gets distracted, the day passes; a blue sky, a mallow sky, the clouds, that one bird, and the day has passed! Today, the morning went like the eyes. No blues, or mallows, or fuchsias; no color at all. My white walls, and writing. My white walls, how adamant in separating us! The air of my room [...] In it, my body, my spirit, to write to you. Do you remember?
And what to tell you? I will tell you that there have passed many days here [...]

Note: Incomplete translation. Also a missing chunk in the middle because of transcription/legibility issues.

FAQ/Directory

Q: Why aren't there any letters from Prieto to Aleixandre?
A: All of Aleixandre's inventory, including all the letters he kept, were passed on to Carlos Bousoño: and later, to his widow, Ruth Bousoño. This woman has been withholding most of Aleixandre's inventory since it came into her possession due to certain events that went down between Aleixandre and her husband. Within this withheld, unavailable inventory, are Prieto's letters. For the moment, neither I nor any other entity has access to them.

Q: Why did you name this site after Prieto, if none of his letters are available?
A: Precisely because of that. I think it's a fun contradiction.

Q: Why are some letters incomplete?
A: Parts of letters may be lost, illegible or restricted. I work with what I have. Aside from that, please note that all Aleixandre letters are not transcribed! This means that I have to transcribe their original Spanish version by hand into a digital format, then translate them. Keep in mind that Aleixandre handwrote most of his letters and did not use a typewriter. I usually do not translate his letters in full because they are so labour-intensive. I encourage you to request any in-full translations of incomplete pieces if you really need/want them.

Q: What are your sources?
A:

• Aleixandre-Gregorio: Gregorio Prieto's Museum's archive.
• Lorca-Dalí or Dalí-Lorca: Querido Salvador, Querido Lorquito Correspondence 1925-1936 (Elba edition).

Q: I want to know more about [insert relevant thing].
A: Ask me through my Atabook!