Andrea Bernal, poet and Philosophy graduate from the University of Salamanca, has been on the island for barely a year. ‘I came here because of a job opportunity as a philosophy teacher. I had been in Berlin and felt like a change when this chance arose just as my scholarship was coming to an end. I love the island. I’m still discovering it; it fascinates and inspires me. I’m writing more than ever.’ says this poet from Madrid.
Bernal has published four books of her poetry: Los pájaros, Adiós a la noche, Todo lo contrario a la belleza and Nominalismos. As a poet, Bernal defines herself as “naturalist and heterogeneous”. ‘I have a classical side,’ she explains, ‘because of my closeness to the classics, which I read a lot, as well as a lot of foreign poetry. American authors like Walt Whitman and Spanish authors from the generations of ’27 and ’50. However, I also love Lorca´s less rhythmic writings. What I write is closer to prose, with a lot of metaphysics and philosophy.’
As for the subject matter, “before coming to Lanzarote I embraced all things botanical. Everything was connected with plants, flowers, gardens… Now I am more aquatic and rediscovering the sea. I love it and although I knew it from my travels north, it’s new for me in my poetry. The water, the fish… they move me.’ As for her personality, ‘I’m prone to introspection and getting lost in my thoughts and musings. I’m not into social events and am rather shy.’
