Lorca in New York

I discovered this amazing website where one can read all about Frederico Garcia Lorca's brief life in New York City in 1929 and 1930 (as a student at Columbia).

Yay! New York City!!

It's very interactive so you can click on a particular location of the city and find out about a party he attended or a poem he wrote based on that location or someone influential that he met. All of these experiences led Lorca to write Poet in New York which contains some of his best-known works and allows him to present some of this consistent themes in a new light: the oppression of the poor, exploitation, violence, etc.

For any afficionados of Lorca's work or life, the website and map are a gold mine of fascinating anecdotes and direct influences on his poems. For newcomers to Lorca, it's a great introduction to his most accessible series of poems (though one would hardly say that Lorca's work in general is inaccessible).

The map is part of a series of events throughout New York City this spring and summer commemorating the work of Lorca. More information on that here. These events include an exhibition at the New York Public Library which contains his manuscripts, photos and letters.

Man, there's always something cool going on in NYC.