Every Line a Verse, Every Art a Poem: Monsiváis, Minstrel of the Mexican Chronicle

Abstract

This study analyzes the myriad ways in which Carlos Monsiváis incorporates poetry and song verse into his literary journalism. Whether this genre of the chronicle is a serious denunciation of criminal and inhumane acts in Mexico or a satiric jab at sociopolitical realities, its author does not refrain from inserting verses into his discourse, a custom which both entertains and challenges readers to actively construct the text's meaning. This essay includes a summary of the major Mexican movements and poets from which Monsiváis takes most of his poetic subtitles and puns, and also a comment on the author's disheartened assessment of today's educational system and society's emphasis on the image. These dull the citizen's perception of the poetic or indeed of any appreciation of language. Still, ever the utopian, Monsiváis keeps the torch for poetry's survival.