Rose Mary Salum

Art is the manifestation of a nation’s soul. If we ponder of a State not as a unity, but as the sum of the people forming it as it is, then it is simpler and less abstract to denote its art as the manner in which the set of people expresses itself. 

«Fly» by José Santos. http://www.jsantos.co.uk/

To halt support this dimension of society is as though cutting half of its being. In times in which consumerism is the rule it is ever so important to exalt this other part of human beings.

As for my particular case, since I left Mexico I realised that Mexican culture is only appreciated in very narrow and selected circles of educated people. The rest of the people does not really know who we are, let alone when they openly show contempt for what is Mexican. When I faced straightforwardly with such realisation (it is never the same to know this by TV or newspapers as living it in your own flesh), I decided that the responsibility was to shift this mindset in a one by one basis.

I, then, introduced ‘Literal’ magazine as a way of establishing a cross-cultural dialogue, in order to create a mean capable of export the richness of our artistic expressions abroad and by collaborating in the means that each individual’s ability suppose to spread our soul in the English-speaking world to be appreciated. Hence the importance of supporting art and culture in Mexico from abroad. Thence the need of people like you, reader, that regardless of distance from your country feel the duty of promote our soul.

Translated from Spanish by Dr. Paniel Reyes Cárdenas.

Rose Mary Salum is Mexican, founder and director of ‘Literal, Latin American Voices’, a bilingual magazine. She is author of the books of tales “Entre los espacios” (Spaces in Between) and “Vitrales”. She was guest editor of Hostos Review for the compilation of Almalafa and Caligrafía, Latin American writing of an Arabic origin (2010). Her poems and stories are included in anthologies from the USA, Australia, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Poland and Spain. She won the Terra Austral award, the Ana María Matute (Torremozas) Award, the Hispanic Excellence Award, the Lone Star Award, CELJ award, and the Classical Award given by the University of St. Thomas as well as the Maggie Award. We suggest to visit  http://www.literalmagazine.com/