There are writers who are barely known by name –Juan Ramón–, by their first and last name –Juan Marse, Antonio Machado—, because of his two surnames —García Lorca– or by full name and surname –Antonio Munoz Molina–. In the latter case, there is the author of barely verses, Antonio García BarbeitoAlthough, just saying Barbeito, an uncommon surname, like mine, as I have done in the headline, is enough.
Barbeito, or Antonio García Barbeito, is a well-known writer and broadcaster, "one of the most representative voices of the rural essence and poetic roots of Andalusia," as stated on the back cover. Born in the Sevillian village of Aznalcazar In 1950, he worked in various journalistic outlets, and he still does, of course. I want to especially mention his program now. Andalusian poets, on RAI, an Andalusian television network, where, together with my dear teacher and mentor Rogelio Reyes Cano, delivers the commentary and reading each week of several Andalusian poets.
He is a poet and storyteller himself, with several published books. I've commented on him in the online newspaper. Cultural Light his novel Talharaas well as his book of poems Athens Noctuaand I interviewed him.
Given her exceptional voice for recitation and voice-over, we can enjoy her participation in a memorable album of Calixto Sanchez, with the guitars of Manolo Franco y Pedro Bacán and the percussion of Manuel Soler… I keep it like a precious treasure in my flamenco record collection. From lyric to cante It is a monumental, beautiful work, necessary in its time, when there weren't as many versions of poems as there are in recent years, fortunately, something to which I dedicated myself in expoflamenco Two articles. From that album we can listen, for example, to the tangos with lyrics by Alberti, read by Barbeito at the beginning:
His latest contribution to poetry, to the lyric poetry of canteThis is the book published by Almuzara, barely versesA reissue, with some additional contributions, of the 2004 book published by Seville BiennaleThe prologue to that edition was written by Manuel Copete, former director of the Biennial, and of the writer and flamenco scholar Antonio Zoido, while the one for the 2025 edition is written by Rafael DoblasHe comments that the author has fulfilled "the poetic duty of having condensed the life of all men into the brief space of the three verses of a soleá." He highlights, among those from the previous edition, some like this one:
If the river had strength
to drag along disappointments,
I would go and throw mine away.
And among those contributed in this edition, others such as the following:
Lying next to your body
I would like to stay…
And that they would think you were dead.
Sunset blouse,
She closes it slowly,
the train's rack.
When asked about some of the lyrics from the book that have already been sung, the poet points out some, such as this Cartagena song that he sings with mastery. Carmen Linares:
Perhaps I have too many sorrows,
Maybe I don't know how to count,
whenever I adjust sentences
I get too many worries.
"The prologuist Rafael Doblas comments that the author has fulfilled the poetic duty of having been able to condense the life of all men into the brief space of the three verses of a soleá"
This link would be the second letter, with the guitars of Paco Cortes y Peter Sierra, live:
It reminds us that it is also very present, with almost half of the album, in the work of Nougat maker It smells like rosemary From 1976. Here, playing soleá, with the maestro Paco Cepero, another one with a stamp, in the voice of this flamenco singer who filled his canteHis creativity and personality have already captivated many:
And by bulerías david lakes She will sing on a project that is not yet on the market when we write this review, summer of 2025, with lyrics such as:
The kisses I didn't give you
They must be hurting,
how they hurt me.
As people murmur,
I've given it a fake laugh.
to the face of my bitterness.
Memory is a thirst
that only water removes it
that will never be drunk.
Since I can no longer see her,
I go out into the street looking
one that resembles it.
Personally, I believe this book showcases a set of high-quality letters, perfectly aligned with the established letter codes. flamenco And that doesn't mean they can't be read as poetry in general, of course. Barbeito addresses the great themes of poetry and of flamencowith sharpness, depth, grace, and precision. Sometimes profound, other times more ironic and lighthearted, especially in the not infrequent lyrics with a distinctly erotic tone. In the following collection, with which I take my leave, you can see different themes and approaches:
The street of my desire
It always ends up at your door.
no matter how much I think about it.
The corners of your body
I know them by heart…
And I always get lost in one.
How do you want me to comfort you?
this pain that is killing me,
What if I don't know where it hurts?
Triana on one side
and on the other side, Sevilla.
Let's see which river in the world
It has better shores.
So much digging through galleries
when there is no mineral
that is worth as much as a life.
Or, from among the new ones, these two that I particularly like:
Let them say if it isn't true:
Little knows a lot
when you have nothing.
We already know what happens:
Those who don't know how to fly
They learn to clip wings.
→ Antonio García Barbeito, barely versesCórdoba, Almuzara, 2025
