"La vida es una herida absurda."
/lah VEE-dah es OO-nah eh-REE-dah ab-SOOR-dah/
Life is an absurd wound.
💡 Understanding the Quote
"La vida es una herida absurda."
🎨 Visual Representation
Lorca's quote captures the beautiful yet painful and meaningless nature of existence.
🔑 Key Words
📖 Context
From the poem 'Canción del jinete' (Horseman's Song) by Federico García Lorca, published in his 1927 collection 'Canciones'.
📝 In Action
A veces siento que, como decía Lorca, 'la vida es una herida absurda'.
C1Sometimes I feel that, as Lorca said, 'life is an absurd wound'.
El poema de Lorca tiene una visión muy oscura de la existencia; concluye que 'la vida es una herida absurda'.
B2Lorca's poem has a very dark view of existence; it concludes that 'life is an absurd wound'.
✍️ About the Author
📜 Historical Context
Written in the 1920s, this quote comes from a period of intense artistic and intellectual ferment in Spain, known as the 'Silver Age'. Lorca was part of the 'Generation of '27', a group of avant-garde poets exploring themes of love, death, and destiny with a modern sensibility. This quote reflects the existential angst and search for meaning that characterized much of early 20th-century European thought.
🌍 Cultural Significance
This quote encapsulates the 'duende'—a key concept in Lorca's work representing a dark, irrational, and profound sense of emotion, often connected to death and suffering. It's a touchstone for understanding the tragic sense of life present in much of Spanish art and literature.
📚 Literary Analysis
The quote is a powerful metaphor. Calling life a 'wound' (herida) immediately establishes a tone of pain and suffering. Adding 'absurd' (absurda) strips that suffering of any potential meaning, redemption, or purpose. It’s not a noble wound from a battle; it’s a senseless, illogical injury. This combination creates a feeling of deep existential despair.
⭐ Usage Tips
Expressing Existential Pain
Use this quote in thoughtful, serious conversations to express a feeling of disillusionment or to describe a situation that seems senselessly painful. It's poetic and carries a heavy, melancholic weight.
Literary Reference
When discussing Spanish poetry, particularly the works of Lorca or the Generation of '27, this quote is a perfect example of their existential themes.
🔗 Related Quotes
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: La vida es una herida absurda.
Question 1 of 2
Who is the author of the quote 'La vida es una herida absurda'?
🏷️ Categories
Themes:
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this quote representative of all of Lorca's work?
While Lorca's work often explores themes of tragedy, death, and unfulfilled desire, it also contains incredible passion, beauty, and life. This quote represents the darkest, most existential side of his poetry, but it's not the whole picture.
What does 'absurda' mean in this context?
Here, 'absurda' goes beyond just 'silly' or 'illogical'. It taps into the philosophical concept of Absurdism—the idea that the human search for meaning is futile in a meaningless, irrational universe. So, the wound of life has no reason or purpose.