Elvira Sastre (Segovia, 1992) wrote her first poem at the age of 12 and hasn’t stopped ever since. After numerous successes, he has recently been proposing a union between music and poetry, with many awards he has received. This is the proposal that brought him to the Guimerá Theater on Tuesday, June 14. She joins the new issue of Culture & Business Pride with ‘I don’t want to be a souvenir anymore’.
How about a festival like Culture and Business?
It seems to me a necessary and very interesting festival as it explores the whole of the collective perhaps from a more cultural or commercial point of view, which provides a really interesting perspective for the public who want to know more about what’s going on right now. .
They confirm that their offer at the festival “is not your typical poetry recital”. What did you prepare?
In fact, what interests me is to explore poetry from all possible perspectives, from all perspectives that I can reach. So what we present on stage is not a typical recital, but more: a fusion between music and poetry, adding all kinds of electronic props, sound changes, distortions, even autotune. We love to explore different types of music and apply them to poems according to what they want from us. So what is seen is not an ordinary narrative, but something else, an exploration beyond what was established or expected.
Is poetry experiencing a new golden age?
Poetry, like culture, had absolute splendor when it was at the top. Unfortunately, I think we are not at the moment, but it is true that poetry has advanced a lot and is placed in high places, places where it deserves and corresponds to me.
You say “Words are beautiful”. Should we remind him more? society to keep in mind these days?
Of course. I’m a fan of anything that makes me feel good, including the word poetry. Hence my determination to try to reach as many parts of the world as possible, especially to people who have never been impressed by poetry and who suddenly find a verse in a photograph, a t-shirt, an advertisement.
He wrote his first poem at the age of 12. Do you remember what it was about? Would you change anything about it?
I wrote a lot of poetry at that age. I was discovering many things for the first time and felt the need to explore them with words. I wouldn’t change anything, it gives me too much precision to go back to.
You write from childhood, how did your poetry develop? How does it feel to write now?
Topics and interests, of course, change. I am now at a point where I am more interested in exploring the existential parts of my life, our relationship with others, ourselves, the role of women in this society, how we are relative to what has happened to us.
Thinking without justifying writing?
I find it very difficult to write without positioning yourself in some way from an emotional, social or political point of view. I trust the word to be a very powerful tool to change things, which makes it undoubtedly a way of justifying itself.
He says all he needs in life is to write, can he do that anywhere?
No, I get more crazy as I get older. I need solitude, I need light, and I usually also need music so words flow better.