Today Piedad Bonnett sings the praises of the oft-neglected sea cucumber. I once spent so long trying to find her house in Bogotá, in a taxi with Jorge Fondebrider and a clueless driver, that she thought we’d been… Read More
Posted on May 28, 2020 by richardgwyn
Last Tuesday saw the launch in Bogotá of Rómulo Bustos Aguirre’s Collected Poems (1988-2013), La pupila incesante. The event was introduced by another fine Colombian poet, Darío Jaramillo Agudelo. Both poets feature in my forthcoming anthology,… Read More
I caught sight of this man crossing the Plaza de Bolívar, and from a distance something looked very wrong. He had a strange loping gait, and was clutching a small white ticket in his right hand, and… Read More
Posted on September 9, 2014 by richardgwyn
Navigating Bogotá can be an exasperating business, on several levels. Certain aspects of life in the city are perplexing. The street system – while appearing quite logical on paper – is practically incomprehensible. Yesterday we spent… Read More
Posted on September 8, 2014 by richardgwyn
Sometimes the past just won’t leave you alone. When I lived in London – a long, long time ago – I went to a lot of gigs and occasionally had walk-on roles as a ‘poet’ with bands… Read More
Posted on September 4, 2014 by richardgwyn
Lord, protect us from the wise old men of literature Though in fact, the Lord may be the last person to do this protecting. At the literary festival I am currently attending, and at every such conference… Read More
Posted on September 3, 2014 by richardgwyn
Landing at Bogotá must be quite challenging for an airline pilot. The city is on a plane high in the Andes, and both times I’ve landed here we’ve come down with a bump. Lonely Planet online warns its… Read More
Posted on September 2, 2014 by richardgwyn
Why would anyone leaving a sign above a sink with a warning that femurs should not be washed? Probably only in an archaeology laboratory at the University of the Andes in Bogotá. I was visiting the labs with… Read More
Posted on July 7, 2013 by richardgwyn
Bogotá is the kind of place designed to make you feel conspicuous if you are toting a camera around. I have heard and read too many bad things, even if the place is considerably safer than it has… Read More
Posted on July 5, 2013 by richardgwyn
‘A story always tells two stories . . . the visible narrative always hides a secret tale’. Attempting an overhaul of my laptop’s photo collection, I come across a picture of Eduardo Halfon, standing across the road from… Read More
Posted on July 4, 2013 by richardgwyn
The Argentine writer Ricardo Piglia has a thesis in which he claims that every successful story contains within it another story. The first story narrates the action of the plot, while the second story is more or less… Read More
Posted on February 1, 2013 by richardgwyn
Ricardo Blanco’s BlogRichard Gwyn is the author of Ricardo Blanco's Blog
