Voicing the Moment: Improvised Oral Poetry and Basque Tradition

This volume presents contributions of leading scholars to the field of orally improvised poetry. It includes, on the one hand, essays on Hispanic and extra-Hispanic improvised poetry and, on the other, essays in which leading practitioners of bertsolaritza study their own poetic art and its techniques. Among other traditions, the Slavic gulsari (John Miles Foley), the Canarian punto cubano (Mazimiano Trapero), Mediterranean and Near Eastern improvisation (Samuel G. Armistead), Medieval Spanish written debates (John Zemke), Asturian deep song (James Fernandez), Cantabrian trovas (William A. Christian), Arabic invective (James T. Monroe), as well as the oral context of Garcia Lorca’s Romance sonambulo (Wilfredo de Rafols) are examined. On the Basque tradition of the art of bertsolaritza, Antonio Zavala, Gorka Aulestia, Linda White, Kepa Fernandez, Joxe Mallea-Olaetxe, Joseba Zulaika, Joxerra Garzia, Jon Sarasua, and Andoni Egana discuss its various aspects, techniques, and theories. Israel J. Katz concludes the volume with a study of the bertso music. The result is a balanced combination of diverse perspectives that constitute a significant addition to the growing body of scholarship concerning orally improvised poetry.