Ode to Walt Whitman

At the heart of Lorca’s conception of poetry and art is the concept of duende. Rather than inspired by a muse or angel like other poets and artists, Lorca was inspired by duende. Duende is illuminating the presence of death in life and creating art that emerges from, and is infused with, darkness. In his essay “Theory and Play of The Duende,” Lorca writes, “the duende loves the edge, the wound, and draws close to places where forms fuse in a yearning beyond visible expression.” Duende in flamenco music and dance heavily influenced Lorca’s writing. In the same essay, Lorca quotes Manuel Torre, speaking about music: “All that has dark sounds has duende.”

The concept of duende is arguably Lorca’s greatest gift to poetics. According to the Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, “Internationally, he is the sponsor of the duende” (1340). For instance, in 2007, former U.S. poet laureate Tracy K. Smith published a book of poetry called Duende, inspired by Lorca. Lorca’s “Ode to Walt Whitman” includes the recognition of death and darkness that defines duende. Whitman, Lorca seems to argue, does not center duende in his nature poetry.