Nicanor Parra (1914-2018)

“Nicanor Parra Anti-Poet, professor of Newtonian physics, University of Santiago Chile, my host a month 1960. We couldn’t get a cab downtown from his daughter Catalina on 110 St. N.Y.C. so took Subway to N.Y.U.– here  stopped between stations, September 5, 1984 – Nicanor Para Anti-Poet on Subway from 110 Street Broadway downtown to N.Y.U. September 5, 1984”- Photo: Allen Ginsberg

Nicanor Parra, the great Chilean “anti-poet”, one of Latin America’s greatest poets and one of Allen’s dear beloved old friends, died today, it was announced earlier by the President, Michelle Bachelet, who described him as “a singular voice in Western culture”.      
He (Parra) reached the extraordinary age of a wise and a wonderful 103!

Nicanor Parra, Miguel Grinberg, Allen Ginsberg, Maria-Rosa, Havana, February 1965. Photographer unknown

Here’s his obituary in the New York Times

Here‘s his obituary in the Washington Post 

Here is his obituary in El País. (in Spanish), El Mostrador (from Chile)

Here‘s the AP report, Reuters, the BBC

There’ll be many other notices in the days to come.

Nicanor Parra and Allen Ginsberg at the St Mark’s Poetry Project, New York, 1987 – photograph by Vivian Selbo

Here’s a link to our posting on him back in  2011  (with plenty of links)

and here‘s a link to our posting on the occasion of his 100th birthday celebration

Here’s Nicanor saluting us all, drinking a glass of milk!

Salute. great poet!

3 comments

  1. I met my husband at a poetry reading, “America” – Nicanor Parra and Allen Ginsberg where the performers, 1987. It may correspond to the picture you post at the St. Marks Poetry project. Nicanor had invited me, I was living in Princeton at the time. Nicanor was a good friend of my parents in Chile, and got in touch when spending a few months in NYC. After the reading, we went off for a few drinks, and Chinese food with Catalina, Nicanor, and a few other people. Allen had also spent some time in Chile, where he stayed at my aunt’s (Raquel Senoret – alias Raka).

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