Journalist Víctor Fernández has gathered in this work a selection of the Granadan poet's correspondence, offering a unique insight into his life and thoughts. Among the documents, a letter from 1920 stands out, written from the Residencia de Estudiantes in Madrid, where Lorca vehemently responds to his father, who urged him to return to Granada to finish his law studies.
“"I beg you with all my heart to leave me here until the end of the term, and then I will leave with my published books and a clear conscience, having broken some swords fighting against the Philistines to defend and protect pure Art, True Art. You can no longer change me. I was born a poet and artist just as one is born lame, as one is born blind, as one is born handsome. Leave my wings in place, for I assure you I will fly well."
This phrase, which summarizes his artistic determination, is one of many passages that show Lorca's "most intimate and spontaneous voice," as highlighted by Valencian historian Esther López Barceló in the book's prologue. Fernández emphasizes that these letters "humanize" the poet, showing him in his daily life, "in slippers."
The epistolary also includes a chilling testimony of the last communication received by Lorca's family on August 17, 1936, a blackmail attempt after his assassination. Fernández uses this publication to debunk "nonsense and 'fake news'" about the poet's supposed apoliticism, stating that he was "left-wing and supported the Popular Front."
In addition to family correspondence, the book functions as a travel diary, with Lorca sharing his impressions from places like Havana, Buenos Aires, and especially New York. From the latter city, on June 28, 1929, he writes about the grandeur of the metropolis, stating that "three of these buildings could fit all of Granada" and announcing the creation of "typically American poems with mostly Black themes."
