The Siglo Futuro Foundation held an emotional tribute yesterday in memory of Paco García Marquina, a prominent writer and poet, and a key figure in the cultural life of Guadalajara and the history of the foundation. The event featured the inauguration by the mayor of Guadalajara, Ana Guarinos, of the ‘Marquina Corner’, a space in the Foundation’s headquarters, showcasing personal items of the poet, photographs, books, letters, and some of his awards.
Ana Guarinos recalled, «We remember not only the poet and writer, but also the intelligent and witty man of precise words and spark, who showed affection for Guadalajara, its people, and its rivers, who had a great sense of humor, and who nurtured, like a good gardener, affection and friendship, because he shared the joy of living.»
«Paco Marquina will now have this corner in the library of the Siglo Futuro Foundation to remember him through these objects lent to us by his family and also through the ingenuity and beauty of his poems, which Paco gifted us for eternity,» said the mayor, who also noted, «Paco has another corner in our lives and our hearts, formed the very moment we were fortunate enough to meet him, where we keep the moments we lived.»
Thanking Paco’s children, Cecilia and Álvaro, Guarinos concluded her speech by reading Marquina’s self-portrait poem:
Francisco, faithful lover of the earth,
observer of everything, seducer by treachery,
contradictory and full of divine humor,
born on the ruins of a young man
lyrical and baroque, gravely traveler
in love, posthumous child
of a tender judicious boy, dead
from an overdose of sanity
Juan Garrido, president of the Siglo Futuro Foundation, emphasized Paco Marquina’s importance for the culture of Guadalajara. «On January 7, 2022, we lost a historical reference of the Siglo Futuro Foundation. A highly prominent asset of Guadalajara’s culture and a writer and poet of national acclaim. The society of Guadalajara owed a debt to Paco.»
The event included a poetic performance by María Ángeles Novella, in the Foundation’s library, on the university campus of Guadalajara, and a subsequent poetry reading at the Ibercaja Cultural Center with the participation of María Ángeles Novella, Carmen Niño, Marta Marco, and Jesús Orea.
