Collusion of Hairdos
“I am promiscuous with hairstyles. I change my hairstyle all the time. I don’t cheat on my husband. I cheat on my hairdressers. They always give me the same cut. Maybe they only know how to do it one way. But I do it with all and with none. And I want them to innovate—to change their style. You think I am once. But I am not once. It never happens once in my lifetime and lifestyle. It happens plenty of times in different matters, shapes, and forms—in different styles—with multiple populations—and through different suns and skies. I dawn again and again. And I multiply my forms, my shapes, and my styles.” Giannina Braschi, “Collusion of Hairdos”in Putinoika
Click to Giannina Braschi’s instagram to watch a reading of Collusion of Hairdos at the 92nd Street Y Poetry Center.
Read World Literature Today’s interview, “Give me more Putinas, por favor: A Conversation with Giannina Braschi” by Sandra Guzmán to learn more about the Putinas of Putin and the Collusion of Hairdos. ,,
Sandra Guzmán: The character names are delightful and hilarious. Can you tell me about Pendejo and the Putinas? Who are they?
Giannina Braschi: The muses of Bacchus, the agents of Pendejo, the Putinas of Putin. They all work together in this age of denial. What is denied, usually, is the truth. That truth is what comes to the surface here. When you hear Pendejo say, with such vehemence, that there was no collusion, you know the denial of that truth is the truth. I thought it was a fascinating topic to create a modern legend—like the legend of Faust who sold his soul to the devil for money. In this case, Pendejo sells his country for money because he has no soul.
Learn more about the modern Bacchae in Putinoika.