Rediscovering the Language of the Tribe in Modern Venezuelan Poetry: The Poetry of Trafico and Guaire (Latin American Studies)

This study examines the work of two revolutionary modern poet groups, "Trafico" and "Guaire". The poets of these groups, heady with the success of one of Latin America's oldest democracies, and reared in the optimistic climate of the petroleum boom, felt sure of their ability to defy their poetic predessors be revitalising poetry with a populist infusion of everyday images and colloquial language. Using a cultural studies approach, this work examines the historical and cultural context of the poetic revolution they achieved, and discusses specific texts by many of the members, including Armando Rojas Guardia, Yolanda Pantin, Rafael Castill Zapata, Igor Barreto, Miguel Marquez and Rafael Arraiz Lucca. Textual analysis and consideration of cultural influences show how the main temes of the poets' work: everyday life, alienation, love and self-reflective metapoetry reflect the specific modern, urban enviroment of Caracas in the early 1980s.