Theatine Echoes, June 2020, # 1
A copy of the new book of spiritual poems, experiences and alcazabas, which has been written by Fr. Valentin Arteaga and Sánchez-Guijaldo, CR, has arrived at our work table, briskly returning to the path of lyricism and vivid memory, which both It has characterized him throughout his prolific life as a vate and theatine religious.
The work we are talking about is entitled Cuaderno de Roma, Tomelloso, DC 39 Bambalinas, 2020, 101 p. Let the author himself present the text that he has forged:
The booklet in the hands of the esteemed reader is just a notebook of notes from the times spent in the City, written as a confession and, as the ultimate direction of poetry is prayer, it also reflects a clear desire to achieve enter that area where the hours stop or rush so much more than once.
The vital place of this Notebook is the eternal and glorious Rome, where Fr. Arteaga spent different stages of his life, lately the two six-year periods in which he held the office of General Father of Theatine Regular Clerics (2003-2015). For this reason, the “confessions” that Arteaga reveals are related to typical sites of the immortal city, giving them the particular tone of the lived experience.
They accompany the poems of Fr. Valentin, the illustrations by Francisco J. Rodríguez Díaz, while they have collaborated with the introductory prologue to “The City of the Child Poet” Antonia Cortés and with the epilogue that invites “A pilgrimage for the meeting” Ana López-Casero Beltrán.
