Labaña presents his poetry collection, ‘The Fragrance of Memory’

From the Spanish press

Labaña presenta su poemario ‘La fragancia de la memoria’

by Mariano Perez Rodenas

Elfaro: Region de Murcia

15^th February 2007

The Chamber of the Faculty of Letters of the University of Murcia extends a welcome this evening to the presentation of the second poetry collection of the Murcian sculptor and poet, Antonio Labaňa, `The Fragrance of Memory'. This is an irresistible opportunity for all lovers of verse that surprises with its unusual settings and displacements. The work will be introduced by the poet Dionisia Garcia.

“The book is a way of seeing life from the point of view of a Sufi that likens the existence of human beings with a garden”. Labaňa notes, “For a garden to exist a source of water is needed and the water must flow and this plays a part in the humanity of the mother”. Labaña dedicates two of the thirty poems in this work to his mother.

This identification with the garden is strengthened by the grouping of the verses in ‘parcels’ which bear names related to flowers. Some of these parcels, for example in `Nine drops of Dew', accommodate poems of only two verses in length that coexist with much longer verses. The author comments that the poems display evidence of his travel experiences in Iran, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey, among other exotic destinations. Perhaps for that reason, Labaña has prepared a presentation of his work that will be, “a delight for the senses” in which the visitors will be able to smell the aromas, hear the music, and enjoy the flavours of the Orient, and all of these strengthened by the illumination expressed through the spirit of the book.