Quién me iba a decir que el destino era esto.
Ver la lluvia a través de letras invertidas,
esa pared con manchas que parecen ministros,
el techo de los ómnibus brillantes como peces
y esa melancolía que impregna las bocinas.
Who would have thought that this was my destiny?
Watching the rain through inverted letters,
that wall full of stains that resemble ministers,
the tops of the buses glistening like fish
and the melancholic sounds of the horns.
‘Aquí no hay cielo’ [‘There’s No Sky Here’] by Mario Benedetti and Alberto Favero, from the album Nacha canta Benedetti [Nacha Sings Benedetti] (1975)
Poetry was always an essential part of Nacha Guevara’s work, as she sang pieces written by authors such as José Martí, Pablo Neruda, Boris Vian, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and, especially, Uruguayan poet Mario Benedetti. Her interpretations of the latter’s verses transformed the written word into a collective theatrical experience. She deeply identified with Benedetti, creating a musical version of his Poemas de la oficina [Poems From The Office], which spoke of the middle class, of grey dreams, and of the tiny daily gestures of resistance that Nacha knew so well.
Nacha met Mario Benedetti in Montevideo, where they forged an artistic and emotional bond that would define an era. Working with Alberto Favero, Nacha transformed the verses of the poet into an unforgettable musical repertoire. The album Nacha canta Benedetti was a statement of principles. They both believed in art as a weapon of resistance that could achieve beauty as well as the right to a better life.
Many people first encountered poetry through Nacha’s voice. Her repertoire, built over decades, remains relevant because it tackles universal themes such as love, justice, hope and freedom. For Nacha, poetry has always been a form of resistance and of imagination.
‘I believe that the most important thing I did, what makes me feel most
fulfilled is Nacha canta Benedetti. It was such an original show, very Latin
American, very much something of our own. What’s more, at that time I was
pregnant with my son Juan Pablo, and everything came together to make it
even more beautiful’.
Nacha Guevara