Mirrors, Contradictions and Paradoxes in Los espejos comunicantes, by Óscar Hahn

Abstract

As in all cultures, the mirror is a recurring symbol in both Latin-American poetry and narratives. It has various meanings when seen in different literary contexts. The most notable poets of the 20th century, such as Jorge Luis Borges, Octavio Paz, and Carlos Pellicer associate it with mystery, horror, silence, emptiness, catastrophe, and everything which is contradictory, paradoxical, and strange. According to some, the mirror itself reveals the source of poetry and literature, a kind of abyss from which something arises out of nothing. It also allows one to see himself through the eyes of the other. In the book of poetry entitled Los espejos comunicantes, Óscar Hahn, the mirror is a constant entity. Like the aforementioned poets, he reiterates the same obsessions, images, and symbols associated with it. However, here the mirror takes on a new dimension which has not been explored by the others. His poems suggest that what is reflected in the mirror, our wishes, dreams, feelings, and fears, are our true reality. The reality displayed in the mirror is beyond our control. It cannot be understood, organized or classified for our own benefit in the name of science and progress. On the contrary, what should be limited by the confines of the mirror escapes and consumes our reality. For Óscar Hahn our true nature is catastrophe, chaos, passion for destruction, and a love of death. This essence emerges from the mirror and devours everything.