LAUSR

Abstract In Mientras los hombres mueren, Carmen Conde speaks against war through a maternal voice that associates the masculine with violence, war and death and the feminine with nurturance, peace and life. While adhering to the patriarchal image of woman as a long-suffering mother, these poems deviate from this perennial archetype in their forceful and authoritative tone. The poetic voice in them is that of a mother who not only laments the death of her own son, but also demonstrates compassion for all victims of war. While she weeps, sobs and wails, she also expresses anger, urges action and dictates commands. In doing so, she transforms herself from empathetic humanitarian into a self-assured spokesperson and finally into a transcendent being of grand telluric power.