Writing is learning to look at yourself again, it is being willing to get uncomfortable in your own skin.
. With these words, the writer Ana Laura Bojórquez (Mexico City, 1967) opens the door to the complex and exciting world of literary creation.
Known by her initials, ALBA, the author has charted a path that explores both the depths of poetry and philosophical recesses through essays. In his works, Agalma (2018), Zombies: An icon of the void (2015) and his most recent creation, low flight (2024), also reflects the constant search for self-knowledge, as well as his willingness to explore the uncomfortable.
Since I was a child, literature was a constant company for me. I grew up surrounded by books, from the stories my family gave me to the great works of Russian literature that my father loved, which prepared me, little by little, for a universe of words and deep reflections.
he noted in an interview with The Day.
Merging poetry and philosophy has been a constant in his career; this combination finds its most authentic expression in visual language and in the synthesis of ideas
he refers.
Ibargoyen and Cerecedo, their influences
Bojórquez’s writing also reflects the profound influence of great masters, such as Saúl Ibargoyen, with whom he collaborated for years in the collective Juntaversos.
Ibargoyen always brought us closer to the cursed poets
added the author, referring to those authors who touch on the forbidden, the dark, the tragic. This influence, however, was not immediate.
At first I didn’t really like that poetry, but over time I learned to love it. It was thanks to these years of work in workshops that my work acquired a particular intensity, one that is not afraid to address difficult topics, such as child abuse or feminicide, recurring themes in my poetry and essays.
On the other hand, Eduardo Cerecedo, another of his teachers, showed him a more contemplative poetry, rooted in the natural beauty of his homeland, Veracruz. Eduardo taught me to observe the world calmly and carefully.
.
One of the highlights of his work is Agalma, published by Ediciones Marea Baja, which explores the relationship between the soul and love. The title, which comes from the Greek word for something priceless, the most precious, arose from a conversation with his daughter, who asked him for help understanding that concept in the writings of Carl Jung.
This questioning led her to explore her passion for Greek mythology and reflect on love, desire and intimacy. I wanted to talk about how sometimes we value so many other things and devalue intimate moments, those of deep pleasure and connection.
.
The intimacy of Agalma contrasts with the harshness of Zombies: An icon of the void, philosophical essay that explores the contemporary myth of the zombie as a reflection of the internal decomposition of the human being.
The zombie, embodiment of the void
In this book, published in 2015 by Ediciones Zigurat, Bojórquez reflects on how human beings fear losing their soul and how resurrected beings represent that loss.
The zombie is a cult figure that embodies the fear of death and emptiness, but also reflects the decomposition of our society.
stated the author. For her, this being is a philosophical symbol of the struggle to preserve a fading identity.
In low flight (2024), the writer returns to poetry, but this time with a closer look at contemplation and reflection on the distance needed to face difficult topics.
Low flight is that ability to approach, but maintaining a certain distance, out of caution, out of fear.
he added.
“Each work represents the opportunity to explore a new angle of life and experience. Writing is learning to look at yourself again.
By doing so, one is able to face the deepest part of oneself, with one’s fears, desires, and discomforts.