New book shines a light on how political unrest obscured Peruvian poet’s legacy

On Sept. 6, 1973, Enrique Verástegui, a young Peruvian poet, sat down to write a letter to professor Wolfgang Luchting, a man on another continent. Although already published, Verástegui sought the recognition that someone in Luchting’s position could provide. 

Over 50 years later, his ambitions may finally be realized through new research led by professor Carlos Villacorta at the University of Maine.

Villacorta, who teaches Spanish and Latin American literature courses, studies Latin American poetry — specifically Peruvian poetry and urban representations of Latin American cities. Villacorta examines the correspondence between Verástegui and Luchting through these lenses in his new book, “Cartas desde los extramuros.”

Villacorta stumbled upon the correspondence between Luchting and Verástegui while exploring Princeton University’s archives for a different project. This accident shaped the next seven years of his academic career. 

“I found many letters from many writers,” Villacorta said. “This one was poetry, and not many letters from [Peruvian] poets you can find from outside of Peru.”

The story Villacorta discovered in his research was more than just the correspondence between two men. The letters provided evidence of cross-cultural exchange during a time of political, cultural and social movement and unrest. They captured the power in Verástegui’s poetry and what it represents, while also documenting a formative shift in Peruvian history during a politically turbulent time. 

Verástegui had already published several poems when he first wrote to Luchting in his early twenties. He was unsatisfied with his accomplishments, yearning to be recognized as the academic he was. Verástegui wanted to establish a reputation as someone who was well-read, and had philosophical ideas that were imbued in and went beyond what he wrote. 

Verástegui saw Luchting as the solution. Luchting, born in Germany, had worked as a translator and journalist in Germany and South America before coming to the United States. By the 1970s, he was an established professor at Washington State University, where he translated Latin American literature into German and English. 

Verástegui thought Luchting could provide the means to have his poetry translated, and help establish Verástegui’s reputation in academic circles. Unfortunately, Verástegui found claiming the recognition he deserved elusive during his lifetime.

The years Verástegui and Luchting wrote to each other, 1973 to 1977, were a time of great change in Peru. This four-year period saw the final years of a military dictatorship led by Major Gen. Juan Velasco Alvarado, who had created intense social change while in power, collapse. In its place arose a far more conservative, democratic system of government led by Francisco Morales Bermúdez, who overthrew Velasco during a coup in 1975. 

Villacorta explained that in the letters, there is a shift from the feeling of hope that Peru was changing for the betterment of its people to the unease of knowing that something had gone wrong.

As Latin America’s politics changed, so too did the region’s culture and literature. Traditional poetry made way for young poets who used slang and indigenous languages in their writing. This was a “new generation with new ideas,” explains Villacorta. 

These young writers wanted to be connected to the wider world, and there was excitement among consumers in the United States and Western Europe who wanted to read their work. People like Verástegui wrote poetry, then academics like Luchting translated the poetry for consumers in the United States. This, at least, was the ideal for Latin American authors. An ideal Verástegui strived for, but fell short of, after four years of correspondence with Luchting. 

In Peru, Verástegui’s poetry was often barred from publication due to erotic themes the government found inappropriate. Despite Verástegui’s longing to join the academic world, he was never recognized by Peruvian society or the Peruvian literary community. 

While Verástegui’s found some recognition outside of Peru, including in Mexico, his works were never widely published. However, the recent publication of Villacorta’s book is bringing the poet’s work to a wider audience.

“This work is shifting how we think about Verástegui’s work,” Villacorta said. “I did not know the book would have that kind of impact.” 

While Verástegui, who died in 2018, never achieved the recognition he sought, his letters may help him realize his ambitions after all, as his story and work become more recognized by academics and readers alike. 

Story by Emma Beauregard, research media intern. 

Contact: Daniel Timmermann, daniel.timmermann@maine.edu