Víctor Jara

An illustrated song

Pableras García

Those who know me know that I have a good memory for certain facts, therefore I perfectly remember the day I came across Joan’s book. It was a Saturday of August 2010. That day I had woken up in the armchair at Guillermo’s house, a good friend. We probably had coffee to wake up fully, as I tend to think I was hungover; in fact, I’m almost sure of that. The concrete thing is that we both went to have lunch at the Mercado Central and then I accompanied him to see some books on San Diego Street, two emblematic places in Santiago.

Surely I did not intend to buy any book. My thing, at that time, was to clear my thoughts in the best possible way, so it is likely that I thought of reading as an excellent medicine to distract myself, but with one requirement: I imposed myself on reading things that would lead me to reflect. And what better than a title as suggestive as the one that narrates the life and work of one of our most famous and beloved artists: Víctor Jara.

That reading was seed in fertile ground, since my personal history and interests have always been linked to the “left-wing” side of life. Why? There are times when I question it. ¿Had my grandfather influenced me with his love, his stories, his work as a laborer and his socialist militancy, as well as a strong rejection of the military world? ¿Or was it my father and his stories about the experiences he lived in the short period that Unidad Popular lasted? Or maybe my mother, the person who left a mark on me with her love, daily dedication, and for being the first one to teach me how to draw, and understand certain things? Or it could have been the records from the Dicap (Popular Song Disco) ,that my dad kept or rather hid, in a piece of furniture? I remember that those records powerfully caught my attention with their colorful covers with drawings, where the figure of a little bird perched on some guitar strings stood out. I also remember our family trips by bus, and I am referring to those old buses about to be dismantled, painted in bright colors and full of decorations or stickers, and on whose routes I could see the murals of Villa Francia. I always found them beautiful, however I noticed something sad in them, which later led to the understanding that these images were prescribed for denouncing a brutal dictatorship, a brutality that I was able to witness on more than one occasion with my child’s eyes; because yes, I was an eyewitness of beatings inflicted on students, when I went with my mother downtown Santiago. After all everything is mixed, everything adds up and influences; On some occasion I saw a black and white photograph where a man was hugging a guitar tightly. That’s how I knew who Víctor was and it was those images that later led me to his music.

But I have to resume my encounter with the book about Victor’s life, written by Joan, since reading it blew my mind, it moved me to tears. In those paragraphs I learned about his difficult childhood, his shortcomings, his father’s absence, the impressive figure that was Amanda, his mother, from whom he inherited music from and was the family pillar through tremendous efforts. For the same reason it hurt me to read about his tragic end. I was also captivated by the struggle waged by Víctor to study and how he finally manages to stand out at the Theater School of the University of Chile; his first musical steps with the Cuncumén ensemble and the fact of having shared experiences with another huge contemporary figure, great Violeta Parra. But it also reveals another of his powerful aspects, his great political and social commitment to the people of Chile, without neglecting, of course, the love given to his loved ones, especially his wife and daughters. That is why as I read I was breathless, as the epic story of a man unfolded before my eyes, a Chilean of humble origins, who did shine until his beautiful light was abruptly and violently extinguished. As soon as I finished reading, I thought about the possibility of illustrating Víctor’s songs, although I immediately wondered if this work had already been done. And I started to investigate. And no, no recognized illustrator had noticed his transcendental figure; I saw some drawings and paintings scattered on the internet, I also discovered a few designs, flyers, or a poster of some cultural event of a political nature, but nothing more, there were no illustrations of his singing. So I came to the conclusion that I had to rise to the challenge in my own way, and I decided to illustrate his songs, first by listening to them in detail one by one, to later select a few and start to bring this work to life.

We are on a wide road

Come, come, come with me

Come, come, come with me we go on a wide road, a new destiny will be born, Come along

Come, come, come with me Come, come, come with me, to the heart of the earth, we will germinate with it, Come along. hate left behind never come back continue towards the sea. Your song is river, sun and wind, bird that announces peace.

Friend, your son is on his way

Brother, your mother is on her way They go along the wide road, they are galloping in the wheat, They are on their way

Come, come, come with me Come, come, come with me. The time of the wind has come bursting the silences, Come along hate left behind never come back continue towards the sea. Your song is river, sun and wind, bird that announces peace.

I do not sing just for the sake for singing nor because I have a good voice, I sing because the guitar has sense and reason. It has a heart of earth and little dove wings, It’s like holy water sanctifies glories and sorrows.

Here my song settled As Violeta said, Hard working guitar smelling of spring

That it is not a guitar for the rich nothing that looks like it my song is one of scaffolding to reach for the stars.

That the song makes sense when it beats in the veins of the one who will die singing the true truths.

Not the leaking flattery nor foreign fame, but the song of a market to the bottom of the earth.

There from where it all comes and where it all begins I sing that he has been brave it will always be a new song it will always be a new song It will always be a new song.