El arte de perder/ The Art of Losing
Manuel Adrián López

Charged with intense and captivating images, El arte de perder / The art of Losing brings forth the complex theme of loss in its many forms. This bilingual poetry collection by Manuel Adrián López narrates, from a personal and unique perspective, what it means to lose those things that we may or may not want to get rid of, such as memories, vanity, ideologies, relationships, and even life. 

The collection presents us with the premise of getting rid of those things that we unnecessarily cling on to, "it's time to throw away / the excesses that you hang on to foolishly / in case they're needed someday". However, throughout the collection, we witness how the speaker gradually peels himself of everything, layer by layer, until nothing is left. Here, we contemplate the meaning of loneliness and silence, 

Manuel Adrián López confronts the reader with an inevitable truth; that is, whether we like it or not, whether accept it or not, we will eventually lose everything we have ever possessed. In this sense, The Art of Losing also becomes a way of coping with loss, a way of looking back at life itself and being able to say goodbye. 

Manuel Adrián López (Cuba, 1969) is the author of Yo, el arquero aquel (Spanish Poetry. Editorial Velámenes, 2011), Room at the Top (Short Stories. Eriginal Books, 2013) and Los poetas nunca pecan demasiado (Spanish Poetry. Editorial Betania, 2013). 
 
El arte de perder / The Art of Losing is a publication by Eriginal. Click here to purchase. 
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Reviewed by
Gerald A. Padilla
9/25/17

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