Enrique Lihn

{{Short description|Chilean poet, playwright, and novelist}} thumb|right|A black-and-white portrait of Enrique Lihn in the 1970s '''Enrique Lihn Carrasco''' (3 September 1929 – 10 July 1988) was a Chilean writer, literary critic, and cartoonist, mostly known as a poet, but who also wrote essays, short stories, novels, plays, and comic books.

== Biography ==

=== Early life === Son of Enrique Lihn Doll and María Carrasco Délano,<ref name="gooddepaso">{{cite web|access-date=13 October 2016|publisher=godreads|title=Poesía de paso|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18513567-poes-a-de-paso}}</ref> Enrique Lihn completed his primary education at Saint George's College and later attended Santiago's Liceo Alemán.<ref name="mem">{{cite web|access-date=28 December 2016|title=Memoria Chilena|url=http://www.memoriachilena.cl/602/w3-article-3408.html|work=Enrique Lihn (1929-1988)}}</ref> Lihn displayed an early aptitude for reading and was well-versed in Spanish, French, Anglo-Saxon, and Latin American poetry from a young age. In 1942, at the age of thirteen, he enrolled in the School of Fine Arts at the University of Chile, initially intending to study visual arts.<ref name="Lih08-Via">Lihn 2008 Vial, Juan Manuel, «Por arte del birlibirloque», pages 9-16</ref>

Although Lihn initially pursued painting at the university, he ultimately decided to embark on a writing career.<ref name="gooddepaso2">{{cite web|access-date=13 October 2016|publisher=godreads|title=Poesía de paso|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18513567-poes-a-de-paso}}</ref> Between 1949 and 1955, he published his first two poetry books and penned an essay on the work of Nicanor Parra. In collaboration with Nicanor Parra, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Jorge Sanhueza, Jorge Berti, Roberto Humeres, and Luis Oyarzún, Lihn created ''Quebrantahuesos'', a collage published in 1952.<ref>[http://www.memoriachilena.cl/602/w3-article-96849.html «El Quebratahuesos»], ''Memoria Chilena'', s/f; acceso 22.03.2017</ref>

Lihn parted ways with mime artist and dancer Ivette Mingram when their daughter Andrea, who would later become an actress, was a year and a half old.<ref name="andrea">[http://poetaenriquelihn.blogspot.com/2010/03/andrea-lihn-edipo-mucha-honra.html «Andrea Lihn edipo a mucha honra»], artículo de Lourdes Andrés archivado en la página sobre Lihn, 16.03.2010; acceso 22.03.2017</ref><ref name="gooddepaso3">{{cite web|access-date=13 October 2016|publisher=godreads|title=Poesía de paso|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18513567-poes-a-de-paso}}</ref>

In 1963, Lihn published ''La pieza oscura'' (The Dark Room), a poetry collection he considered to be his first significant work.<ref name="Lih08-Via" /> This book was subsequently translated into French as {{Lang|fr|La chambre noire}} and published in Paris (Pierre Jean Oswald Editeur, 1972) as a bilingual edition, featuring cover art and illustrations by Roberto Matta.<ref>[http://www.sudoc.abes.fr/DB=2.1/SRCH?IKT=12&TRM=010913777 Ficha de ''La chambre noire''], Surdoc, s/f; acceso 22.03.2017</ref>

Lihn was an active member of the Popular Action Front in Chile and showed his support for Salvador Allende during the presidential elections of 1958 and 1964.<ref name="Lih08-Via" />

=== Trips overseas and stay in Cuba === In 1965, at the age of thirty-five, Lihn was awarded a UNESCO scholarship to study museology in various European cities, including Paris. This marked his first trip abroad, an experience that held great significance for the author. Although he lost the notebook he kept during the journey, its impact was captured in his work ''Poesía de paso'', which won the Casa de las Américas Prize in 1966.<ref name="Lih08-Via" />

During the latter half of the 1960s, Lihn resided in Havana for two years.<ref name="crono">[http://www.memoriachilena.cl/602/w3-article-3408.html#cronologia Cronología de Lihn], ''Memoria Chilena, s/f; acceso 22.03.2017''</ref><ref name="andrea" /> In Cuba, he engaged in diverse activities, working at Casa de las Américas, writing for the ''Granma'' newspaper, composing art catalogs, and editing an anthology of Vicente Huidobro's works. He also fell in love and married a mulata, forming close friendships with notable individuals such as Roque Dalton and Heberto Padilla. Lihn fully immersed himself in Latin American literature and, most importantly, gained firsthand experience of the revolution. However, over time, he became disillusioned.<ref name="gomez2" />

Upon his return to Chile in the late 1960s,<ref name="Lih08-Via" /> Lihn's affection for Cuba began to wane, mirroring the tension he had witnessed in the country. This strain found expression in the two poetry collections he published in 1969: ''Escrito en Cuba'' and ''La musiquilla de las pobres esferas''. The culmination of this change occurred in 1970 when he definitively distanced himself from Cuba due to the accusation of treason against his friend Padilla. Lihn publicly defended Padilla, an act that sealed his permanent separation from the island.<ref name="gomez2">[http://www.latercera.com/noticia/lihn-el-poeta-disidente-regresa-a-cuba/ Andrés Gómez Bravo. «Lihn, el poeta disidente regresa a Cuba»], ''La Tercera'', 31.01.2009; acceso 24.03.2017</ref> Consequently, the Chilean poet became an "uncomfortable author for Cuba," as remarked by Germán Marín, or, in Lihn's own words, a "citizen under suspicion." It was not until almost thirty years later, in 2009, within the framework of the editions of books by Chilean authors published by Casa de las Américas for the Havana International Book Fair—where Chile was the guest of honor—that an anthology of Lihn's work titled ''Una voz parecida al contrario'' was finally published.<ref name="gomez2" />

=== Return to Chile === With writer Germán Marín, Lihn co-founded the ''Cormorán'' magazine of Editorial Universitaria, which released eight issues between August 1969 and December 1970.<ref>[http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?pid=S0718-50492016000500008&script=sci_arttext César Zamorano Díaz. «La revista ''Cormorán'' y su contribución al debate en torno a la cultura en la Unidad Popular»], revista ''Izquierdas'', n.º30, octubre de 2016; acceso 22.01.2017</ref><ref>[http://www.memoriachilena.cl/602/w3-article-95218.html Catálogo de Editorial Universitaria], ''Memoria Chilena'', s/f; acceso 22.03.2017</ref><ref>[http://www.memoriachilena.cl/602/w3-article-97514.html La revista ''Cormorán''], con posibilidad de descargar sus 8 números, en ''Memoria Chilena'', s/f; acceso 22.03.2017</ref>

From 1970 to 1973, Lihn directed the poetry workshop at the Catholic University of Chile. He also served as a research professor of literature at the Center for Humanistic Studies, led by Cristián Huneeus, at the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences of the University of Chile starting in 1972.<ref name="crono2">[http://www.memoriachilena.cl/602/w3-article-3408.html#cronologia Cronología de Lihn], ''Memoria Chilena, s/f; acceso 22.03.2017''</ref> During this period, he crossed paths with other cultural figures of the time, including poet and art theorist Ronald Kay. In the magazine ''Manuscritos'', Kay highlighted the ''Quebrantahuesos'', poetry murals created by Nicanor Parra, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Lihn using the collage technique.<ref>[http://diario.latercera.com/2012/08/29/01/contenido/cultura-entretencion/30-117158-9-ronald-kay-hoy-a-los-parra-se-los-trata-como-una-familia-real.shtml Javier García. «Ronald Kay: "Hoy a los Parra se los trata como una familia real"»] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612081836/http://diario.latercera.com/2012/08/29/01/contenido/cultura-entretencion/30-117158-9-ronald-kay-hoy-a-los-parra-se-los-trata-como-una-familia-real.shtml |date=2016-06-12 }}, ''La Tercera'', 29.08.2012; acceso 23.09.2017</ref>

In 1973, Lihn published his novel ''Batman en Chile'' in Argentina, but due to its release coinciding with the coup d'état in Chile, it was not distributed within the country.<ref>Nómez, Naín: ''Poesía chilena contemporánea: breve antología crítica''. Andrés Bello, 1992; pág. 291</ref>

Two years later, Lihn traveled to France as a guest of the French government. He made a one-month stop in New York, marking his first visit to the United States. During this time, he stayed at Pedro Lastra's house, where he met Óscar Hahn and Jaime Giordano. Lihn also gave readings at several universities, including Yale, Rutgers, Maryland, Stony Brook, The City University of New York, and the Center of Inter-American Relations.<ref name="florit">[http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-22012013000100013 Andrés Florit Cento. «Óscar Hahn: “Enrique Lihn no era un poeta maldito»], revista ''Alpha'' (Osorno), nº.36 julio de 2013; acceso 24.03.2017</ref> While in France, he wrote ''París, situación irregular'', which was published in Chile in 1977.

In 1976, Lihn published his novel ''La orquesta de cristal'' through Editorial Sudamericana, with Héctor Libertella as the editor. In 1980, his third extensive narrative work, ''El arte de la palabra'', was published in Spain. Both of these works feature Gerardo de Pompier (the author's alter ego) and Roberto Albornoz as protagonists and narrators.

In 1978, Lihn received the Guggenheim Fellowship, which brought him to New York for a few months.<ref name="crono3">[http://www.memoriachilena.cl/602/w3-article-3408.html#cronologia Cronología de Lihn], ''Memoria Chilena, s/f; acceso 22.03.2017''</ref> His poetry collection ''A partir de Manhattan'' was published in Chile in 1979. He subsequently made several visits to the United States as a visiting professor at various universities.

Lihn's creative pursuits extended to writing and staging plays, such as ''La radio<ref>[http://www.memoriachilena.cl/602/w3-article-68943.html Afiche de ''La Radio''], ''Memoria Chilena'', s/f; acceso 22.03.2017</ref>'' and ''Las gallinas'',<ref>[http://www.uchile.cl/agenda/40616/teatro-las-gallinas-de-enrique-lihn-en-sala-agustin-sire «''Las Gallinas'' de Enrique Lihn, en Sala Agustín Siré»], agenda de actividades en el portal de la Universidad de Chile; marzo de 2007; acceso 22.03.2017</ref><ref>[http://www.uchile.cl/noticias/40661/las-gallinas-y-donde-esta-enrique-lihn Sergio Trabucco Z. «Las Gallinas: ¿y dónde está Enrique Lihn?»], portal de la Universidad de Chile, 26.03.2007; acceso 22.03.2017</ref> as well as performances. In 1984, he presented the happening ''Adiós Tarzán'', a parody of the dictatorship.<ref name="crono4">[http://www.memoriachilena.cl/602/w3-article-3408.html#cronologia Cronología de Lihn], ''Memoria Chilena, s/f; acceso 22.03.2017''</ref> His recital of the poem ''El Paseo Ahumada'' on the eponymous street in downtown Santiago led to a brief arrest by the police in 1983.<ref name="livan">[http://www.vivaleercopec.cl/2014/03/03/un-comic-visita-el-poema-de-lihn-el-paseo-ahumada/ «Un cómic visita el poema de Lihn “El Paseo Ahumada”»] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323142350/http://www.vivaleercopec.cl/2014/03/03/un-comic-visita-el-poema-de-lihn-el-paseo-ahumada/}}, ''Viva Leer'', 03.03.2014; acceso 22.03.2017</ref> Many of these works, including ''La aparición de la Virgen'', a booklet featuring texts and drawings by Lihn himself,<ref>[http://www.blest.eu/cultura/lihn.html «Enrique Lihn»] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130112649/http://www.blest.eu/cultura/lihn.html}}, artículo de Virginia Vidal publicado originalmente en el semanario ''Análisis''; resumido apareció después en la revista ''Araucaria'', n.º 45, Madrid, 1989; acceso 22.03.2017</ref> were self-financed by the poet and his friends in an attempt to counter the stifling official culture of the military dictatorship era in Chile.

In addition to the illustrations he created for ''La aparición de la Virgen'', Lihn worked on an unfinished comic titled ''Roma, la loba''. He also provided illustrations for other books, including Barlovento's 1949 edition of María Carolina Geel's novel ''Soñaba y amaba el adolescente Perces''.<ref>María Carolina Geel. ''Soñaba y amaba el adolescente Perces'', con exordio de Eduardo Barrios; Ediciones Barlovento, Santiago, 1949</ref>

=== Final years and posthumous recognition === Lihn died in Santiago, Chile, on 10 July 1988, after battling cancer. Throughout his final moments, he remained devoted to his craft, continuing to write until the end. In accordance with his wishes, his friends Pedro Lastra and Adriana Valdés published his book ''Diario de muerte'' (1989), meticulously gathering, transcribing, and arranging the poems he had left behind. Lihn had personally selected the title, which he had written in the notebook where he had collected these poems.<ref>Ashle Ozuljevic. ''El silencio final. Representación y gesto ante la muerte en 'Diario de muerte', de Enrique Lihn''], edición digital, NLIBROS SpA, 2015</ref>

His final resting place is located in the Parque del Recuerdo Cemetery, Sector D09, in Santiago, Chile,<ref>[http://www.revistaoccidente.cl/ediciones-anteriores/ed466/index466.html#p=55 Sergio Rozas Olavarría. «Enrique Lihn: "No se habla de la vida desde un púlpito ni se hace poesía en bibliotecas»] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323054837/http://www.revistaoccidente.cl/ediciones-anteriores/ed466/index466.html#p=55}}, ''Revista de Occidente'', n.º466, octubre de 2016; acceso 22.03.2017</ref> near the burial site of his dear friend, the poet Stella Díaz Varín. Following his passing, numerous anthologies and previously unpublished works from his extensive body of work were released.

Jorge Edwards, the novelist, drew inspiration from Lihn's remarkable persona to craft the protagonist in his novel ''La casa de Dostoievsky'' (Dostoievsky's House).<ref>«[http://www.latercera.com/contenido/29_18227_9.shtml Jorge Edwards se inspira en Enrique Lihn para evocar su juventud en La Casa de Dostoievsky] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303194634/http://www.latercera.com/contenido/29_18227_9.shtml}}», ''La Tercera'', 3 de juno de 2008.</ref>

Additionally, the Chilean cartoonist Liván (Iván Cornejo) created a comic based on Lihn's work ''El Paseo Ahumada'', which was published by the editorial Das Kapital in 2014.<ref name="livan2">[http://www.vivaleercopec.cl/2014/03/03/un-comic-visita-el-poema-de-lihn-el-paseo-ahumada/ «Un cómic visita el poema de Lihn “El Paseo Ahumada”»] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323142350/http://www.vivaleercopec.cl/2014/03/03/un-comic-visita-el-poema-de-lihn-el-paseo-ahumada/}}, ''Viva Leer'', 03.03.2014; acceso 22.03.2017</ref>

== Style and influences == In his poetry, Lihn favored verses that leaned towards poetic prose rather than extreme lyricism,<ref name="Lih08-Via" /> showcasing a clear influence from Nicanor Parra's work.<ref>Parra 2006 Introducción, por Niall Binns pages XXIX-LXXVI</ref>

Literary critic Juan Manuel Vial noted that Lihn pioneered a style characterized by a fusion of "lyricism, everyday speech, essay, news, artistic appreciations, antipoetry, and emotions," which he initiated with his collection ''Poesía de paso'' (1966).<ref name="Lih08-Via" />

Lihn frequently explored the theme of a painful childhood, an aspect already evident in his work ''La pieza oscura'' (1963). Another significant recurring theme in his poetry is travel, which he introduced in ''Poesía de paso'' and further explored in works such as ''Escrito en Cuba'' (1969), ''París, situación irregular'' (1977), ''A partir de Manhattan'' (1979), and ''Estación de los desamparados'' (1982).<ref name="Lih08-Via" />

In addition to poetry, Lihn delved into short story writing and novels. His trilogy focusing on power, language, and "sociosis"—comprising ''Batman en Chile'', ''La orquesta de cristal'', and ''El arte de la palabra''—though not widely acclaimed by national critics, positioned him as part of a movement that broke away from the literary boom, embracing experimental and transgressive Latin American narrative in the 1970s and 1980s. Essayist Héctor Libertella remarked that Lihn's work belonged to a group of "cavemen"<ref>{{cite web | url=https://letralia.com/sala-de-ensayo/2020/10/05/enrique-lihn-y-hector-libertella-frente-al-boom-latinoamericano/ | title=Enrique Lihn y HÃ©ctor Libertella frente al boom latinoamericano, por Daniel Rojas Pachas | date=5 October 2020 }}</ref> who challenged the market-driven strategies and public personas of esteemed authors, contributing to the renewal of continental literature. Lihn's narrative style has been likened to the works of Reinaldo Arenas, Severo Sarduy, Manuel Puig, Salvador Elizondo, and Osvaldo Lamborghini.

Among Lihn's influences, the poet Henri Michaux holds a prominent place. Lihn encountered Michaux's work during his visit to Paris in 1965 and discovered several biographical connections they shared.<ref name="Lih08-Via" />

==Notable works== ===Poems=== *"The Dark Room" *"Cemetery in Punta Arenas" *"Six Poems of Loneliness" *"Torture Chamber" *'"Of All Despondencies" *"A Favourite Little Shrine" *"Goodnight, Achilles"

===Film=== *''Adiós a Tarzán'', directed by Enrique Lihn & Pedro Pablo Celedón.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bye-Bye Tarzán (TV Movie 1987) - IMDb |website=IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1753556/combined}}</ref>

===Novels=== *''Batman in Chile'' *''The Crystal Orchestra'' *''The Art of the Word''

===Works in English=== *''The Dark Room and Other Poems'', transl. by Jonathan Cohen, John Felstiner, and David Unger, 1978, New Directions<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lihn |first1=Enrique |title=The Dark Room and Other Poems |date=1978 |publisher=New Directions Publishing |isbn=978-0-8112-0676-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wKG7YSp2gYUC&q=%22+subject:%22Poetry+/+Caribbean+%26+Latin+American%22 |language=en}}</ref> *''Figures of Speech'', transl. by Dave Oliphant, 1999, Host Publications, Inc.<ref>{{cite web |title=Figures of Speech |url=http://www.hostpublications.com/books/figures.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810192658/http://www.hostpublications.com/books/figures.html |archivedate=10 August 2017}}</ref>

==Notes== <references/>

==External links== * [https://www.getty.edu/research/collections/collection/113YMS Enrique Lihn papers, 1941-1988. Research Library at the Getty Research Institute. Los Angeles, California.]. * [http://www.poetaenriquelihn.com Enrique Lihn webpage] by Daniel Rojas Pachas

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lihn, Enrique}} Category:1929 births Category:1988 deaths Category:Chilean male poets Category:Chilean male dramatists and playwrights Category:20th-century Chilean poets Category:20th-century Chilean male writers Category:20th-century Chilean dramatists and playwrights Category:Deaths from cancer in Chile Category:Male novelists