Carmen Ruggero writes about...

“Martin Fierro”

Soldiers had come to their high school to search out youthful “subversive” elements and had found in a student’s notebook a poem by José Hernandez; the same poem — a haunting, existential piece entitled “Martin Fierro” — with which the author chooses to preface her memoir. Presumably, the poem was adjudged to have had subversive overtones.

Donald Schneider, from the review of “Last Tango...” in this issue.

Why was “Martin Fierro” considered subversive? Because the character Martin Fierro was a rebel. He had been vanished, all his family killed, and his property taken.

After escaping, Fierro became an outlaw and defended those victimized by the authorities. Hence my heading “Last Tango...” with that stanza. “God sent me to this world naked and I will leave in the same manner.” In other words: A free man. But freedom comes at a cost.

Carmen Ruggero