Putinas of Putin - Giannina Braschi

Putinas of Putin, a dramatic scene from Giannina Braschi‘s new work Putinoika.

Las Putinas de Putin

Enjoy this video of a poetry reading of the Putinas of Putin by Giannina Braschi at the Unterberg Poetry Center of the 92nd Street Y. The reading was in celebration of the Daughters of Latin America: An Anthology Reading, edited by Sandra Guzman. Master of ceremonies: Rosie Perez. Authors featured: Carmen Boullosa, Giannina Braschi, Sonia Guiñansaca, Sandra Guzmán, Jamaica Kincaid, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Yvette Modestin, Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro, Esmeralda Santiago, Elisabet Velasquez and more.

The Putinas of Putin is a dramatic scene in the new epic tragicomedy by Giannina Braschi entitled. It’s a multi-genre epic exploring the frenzy and plague in the era of Putin and Trump. Drawing inspiration from ancient Greek tragedies, PUTINOIKA unfolds in three parts: Palinode, Bacchae, and Putinoika. Amid a world overflowing with collusion, delusion, and pollution, hope not only stands resilient but also ascends to higher realms through exhilarating new literary forms, poetic expressions, and a renewed faith in creativity.

Forrest Gander, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and author of Mojave Ghost, lauds the work, stating, “If, as in Ezra Pound’s translation of Aristotle, the ‘swift perception of relations’ is truly the ‘hallmark of genius,’ it’s in the brightly lit halls of Braschi’s books where poetry is tested and stamped with such a mark.”

Read World Literature Today’s feature on the Putinas of Putin, “Give me more Putinas, por favor: A Conversation with Giannina Braschi” by Sandra Guzmán.

“The last time I saw Giannina Braschi was a year ago at the 92NY in New York City. The auditorium was packed—800-plus New Yorkers convening to celebrate the launch of my monumental Daughters of Latin America: An International Anthology of Latine Women. Braschi, one of the 140 brilliant writers featured in the anthology, read an excerpt of her new book, Putinoika (FlowerSong Press, 2024), and introduced the world to Putinas. She brought the house down. Multiple mic-drops. The audience was clamoring to know more about Putinas. Who are they? What world do they inhabit? And, who does their hair?

Braschi’s book comes right on time, two months before the US presidential election in which voters have a chance to retire Trump forever, and here the Puerto Rican poet is at her brilliant peak, bringing us a mind-bending and form-shattering literary experience. The book is rife with invented words that perfectly describe the grubby Trump-Putin love affair and the detritus it causes(ed). It also elevates us to higher realms asking us to dig deeper and find the virtues we possess to create a world where lovers, philosophers, and poets reign.

Putinoika is a Puerto Rican limpieza. And to quote Braschi specifically: it’s the spiritual cleansing of our time….”

Putinas of Putin links