As previously mentioned, Rob highlighted some women writers of the beat generation. Often overlooked, their work resides in the shadows of the movement regardless of quality. During this lecture, Rob mentioned Diane di Prima’s poem book, Loba. This work is compared, by many, to Allen Ginsberg’s Howl. Unfortunately, it never achieved comparable popularity. I happened to pick this book up last year at McHenry and found it very interesting.
The title itself, Loba, translates to she-wolf and is derived from folk tradition. The tale behind this character varies, yet the most common story appears to coincide with Di Prima’s work. La Loba is regarded as the earth mother and wanders the planet collecting bones, particularly that of wolves. According to oral history, La Loba assembles the bones and sings over them resurrecting a living wolf. The louder and longer she sings, the stronger the wolf becomes until it runs off into the distance. With the light just right, one may see this wolf is actually a woman laughing.
Di Prima elucidates the mystical potential of the female with this character. With a strong voice and time, Loba possesses the strength of a wolf. Yet, without her voice she is powerless. She is the oppressed female full of potential. Her ambiguity connotes a universal female energy illuminating the importance of female solidarity. The act of transformation that occurs is catalyzed simply by voice. The fact that this metamorphosis is powered by such a standard ability emphasizes the tangibility of equality. Loba’s strength is not supernatural. It is simply her voice. Loba is an extremely relevant work when pondering the inequality of the beat generation (and so on). Loba was, and still is, a call to arms.
Here’s an excerpt:
“See the young, black, naked woman riding
a dead white man. Her hair
greasy, she whips him & he flies
thru the smoky air. Her hand
is in her mouth, she is eating
flesh, it stinks, snakes wind
around her ankles. Her hand
touches the (wet) earth. Her hand
shakes a gourd rattle, she laughs, her fangs
flash white & red, they are set
with rubies.
see how old woman’s tits hang down
on that young, lithe body, know the skull
in her hand your own, she eats
your eyes & then your brain...”
-cassandra bartenstein
I agree with your final statement. Loba is a call to arms. The depiction of femaleness in the poem is unique, as the she-wolf is presented as a male figure. I find that Di Prima's poem is very personal, of course it's based on her life as a woman. Di Prima herself is a mother of five children with different fathers. She avoided having a father-figure in her life, so in a way one can say she practiced matriarchy. This "femaleness" is presented in her poem, a leading, strong, man-like woman-the great mother. I also find it interesting how, as a reader, one can relate to the various personalities Di Prima presents different personalities in her Loba character-a beautiful young girl, an old lady, a mother, a destructive being, an insatiable cannibal, etc- that are not exactly beautiful or nice. On reads more about primordial instincts and wrath, of a violent power the feminine possess. I think her work is timeless. And I really enjoyed reading it too, also by stumbling across it.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to put my name.
ReplyDelete-Karina G.