They Call Me Violence
to Mario Almada
357 Magnum.
A Heart for Two. A Mulatto Named Martín. A Perfect Murder. A Ruthless Gunman. A Tale of Love. A Thousand Miles to the South. A Violent Man. A Woman with Skill. Abortion: An Ode to Life. All for Nothing. Ambush. Arrest Warrant. Assassin Hunter. Assault in Tijuana. Attack.
Bajo asedio. Bet Against Death. Betrayal. Bloody Escape.
Call of the Blood. Carrion. Chains of Violence. Champion. Chicago: Savage Gangs 2. Chicago: Savage Gangs. Ciclón. Cocaine Phantom. Cocked and Locked. Cockfighters of Jalisco. Corrido of the Pérez Family. Crooked Roads.
Death in Tijuana. Death of a Gunman. Death of the Jackal. Death Sect. Death Squad. Death Trigger. Desert Demons. Desire to Kill. Devil’s Gunman. Divine Words. Dynasty of Death.
El látigo. El pueblo de los malditos. El tráiler asesino. Emilio Varela vs. Camelia la Texana. En el filo de la ley: Misión de rescate. Executioner of Traitors. Extermination Conspiracy.
Falcon: Professional Killer. Famous Gunmen. Federal Agents. Final Bout. Firearms. For You, Mom. Forbidden Ground. Fury of Revenge.
Gangsters: Scent of Death 2. Golden Cleats. Guardians of the Forbidden Dimension.
Hate Storm. Human Contraband. Human Hyena.
I Have to Kill Them. I, the Executioner. Illegal Transplants. In Cold Blood. In Self-Defense. In the Line of Fire. Indomitable Yaqui. Iron Prosecutor 2: Ramona’s Revenge. Iron Prosecutor 3. Iron Prosecutor 4. Iron Prosecutor.
John Doe. Justice for a Criminal. Justice in His Hands.
Kidnapping. Killer’s Prints. Kilos of Death.
La isla de las almas perdidas. La pandilla de la cobra. La Rosenda’s Twins. La viuda negra. Ladies from a Hot, Hot Land. Lady Cop. Lady Indian. Lady Reporter in Danger. Legacy of Death. Length of War. Lobo the Lady Judge. Los monjes sangrientos.
Maclovio the Cripple. Madre querida. Mariachi: Blood Party. Marked to Die. Massacre Days. Maverick: Rain of Blood. Men Don’t Cry. Men of Action. Mestizo. Mortal Cargo. Mortal Path 2. Mr. Four Fingers. Mr. Goldteeth. Mulatto.
Night Massacre. Night of Panic. Night of Vultures.
Oh, Chihuahua, Don’t Give Up! Ojo por ojo. On the Trail of a Criminal. Operation Marijuana.
Palomo’s Death. Poor Lady Illegals. Port with a Curse. Prisoners of the Jungle.
Race Against Death. Ranger 2: The Narco-Tunnel. Ranger: The Last Mission. Rape. Riding with Death. Run-In with Death. Rural Police.
San Miguel el Alto. Savage Kidnapping. Scheduled to Die. Sculo. Seven in the Sights. Silent Revenge. Simón Blanco. Sin salida. Sinaloa: Land of Men. Slashface. Song of the Poor. Special Services Agents. Succession.
Teenage Criminals. That’s Why. The Border Mafia. The Coke Trap. The Escape of El Rojo. The Escape of the Pérez Family. The Fearsome. The Fugitive from Sonora. The Fugitive. The Golden Cage. The Gray Pick-Up. The Grimy Little Girl. The Heartless. The Hitmen of the Río Bravo. The Hustler’s End. The Indian. The Killing Trade. The King of the Hustlers. The Last Escape. The Last Round. The Man from Medellín. The Man with A Hoop In His Ear. The Man. The Murderer. The Policeman and the Partner. The Red Car Gang. The Return of the Beast. The Revenge of El Rojo. The Revenge of La Coyota. The Revenge Trap. The Rustler. The Seventh Assault. The Shadow of El Negro. The Sheriff’s Strange Son. The Silent Zone. The Slippery Chihuahua Fox. The Strange Visitor. The Three Roosters. The Tigress. The Treasure of Atahualpa. The Two Friars. The Two Killers. The Unbreakable. The Uprooted. The Valley of the Miserable. The Voracious Predator. The Wages of Death. The Whole Horizon to Die. The Witch’s Horsemen: In Old Guanajuato. They Call Me Violence. They Should Have Hung Them Before. Thirty Seconds to Die. Those Years. Three Times A Wetback. Tijuana Jones. To Die My Way. To Hell with Death: Federal Agents. To Kill for Revenge. To Live or Die. Tomb for a Narco. Tomb for Two. Town of Death. Traffickers of Children. Traffickers of Death. Traveler. Twelve Damned Men.
Urban Violence. Uzi: Deathly Fire.
Weapons, Theft and Death. Wheelchair Warrior 2. Wheelchair Warrior 3: You Have to Die. Wheelchair Warrior. Wicked Force. Wooden Town. Worse Than the Wild Beasts.
Zapata.
***(original poem, in Spanish)
357 Magnum.
A sangre fría. Aborto: canta a la vida. Agentes de servicios especiales. Agentes federales.
Ansia de matar. Apuesta contra la muerte. Aquellos años. Armas de fuego. Armas, robo y muerte. Asalto en Tijuana. At the Edge of the Law: Rescue Mission. Atentado. Atrapados en la coca. Atrapados en la venganza. ¡Ay Chihuahua no te rajes!
Ansia de matar. Apuesta contra la muerte. Aquellos años. Armas de fuego. Armas, robo y muerte. Asalto en Tijuana. At the Edge of the Law: Rescue Mission. Atentado. Atrapados en la coca. Atrapados en la venganza. ¡Ay Chihuahua no te rajes!
Beloved Mother.
Cabalgando con la muerte. Cacería de un criminal. Cadenas de violencia. Caminos chuecos. Campeón. Cargamento mortal. Carrera contra la muerte. Carroña. Cartucho cortado. Cazador de asesinos. Chicago: pandillas salvajes. Chicago: pandillas salvajes 2. Cobra Gang. Conspiración exterminio. Contrabandos humanos. Cyclone.
Debieron ahorcarlos antes. Desafiando a la muerte: agentes federales. Días de matanza. Dinastía de la muerte. Divinas palabras. Duelo final.
El arracadas. El canto de los humildes. El corrido de los Pérez. El cortado. El cuatrero. El cuatro dedos. El depredador voraz. El dientes de oro. El escuadrón de la muerte. El extraño hijo del Sheriff. El extraño visitante. El fantasma de la coca. El fin del tahúr. El fiscal de hierro. El fiscal de hierro 2: la venganza de Ramona. El fiscal de hierro 3. El fiscal de hierro 4. El fugitivo de Sonora. El gatillo de la muerte. El gato de Chihuahua. El hombre. El hombre de Medellín. El homicida. El llamado de la sangre. El oficio de matar. El policía y el pareja. El prófugo. El regreso de la bestia. El rey de los tahúres. El salario de la muerte. El séptimo asalto. El silla de ruedas. El silla de ruedas 2. El silla de ruedas 3: tienes que morir. El tesoro de Atahualpa. El tunco Maclovio. El último cartucho. El último escape. El valle de los miserables. Emboscada. Emilio Varela vs. Camelia la Texana. En defensa propia. En la línea del fuego. Encuentro con la muerte. Escape sangriento. Eye for an Eye.
Fuerza maldita. Furia de venganza.
Gatilleros del Río Bravo. Guardianes de la dimensión prohibida.
Halcón: asesino profesional. Hembras de tierra caliente. Herencia de muerte. Hombres de acción.
Indio. Island of Lost Souls.
Jóvenes delincuentes. Juan Nadie. Justicia para un criminal.
Kilos de muerte.
Halcón: asesino profesional. Hembras de tierra caliente. Herencia de muerte. Hombres de acción.
Indio. Island of Lost Souls.
Jóvenes delincuentes. Juan Nadie. Justicia para un criminal.
Kilos de muerte.
La banda del carro rojo. La camioneta gris. La fuga de los Pérez. La fuga del rojo. La hiena humana. La huella de un asesino. La india. La jaula de oro. La juez Lobo. La justicia en sus manos. La mafia de la frontera. La muerte de un pistolero. La muerte del chacal. La muerte del Palomo. La mugrosita. La mujer judicial. La secta de la muerte. La sombra del negro. La sucesión. La tigresa. La venganza de la Coyota. La venganza del rojo. La zona del silencio. Las pobres ilegales. Longitud de guerra. Los cuates de la Rosenda. Los demonios del desierto. Los desalmados. Los desarraigados. Los doce malditos. Los dos frailes. Los dos matones. Los galleros de Jalisco. Los hombres no lloran. Los indomables. Los jinetes de la bruja: en el viejo Guanajuato. Los temibles. Los tres gallos.
Mariachi: fiesta de sangre. Masacre nocturna. Maverick: lluvia de sangre. Me llaman violencia. Mestizo. Mil millas al sur. Morir a mi manera. Muerte en Tijuana. Mulato. Municipio de la muerte.
No Exit. Noche de buitres. Noche de pánico.
Operación marihuana. Orden de aprehensión.
Operación marihuana. Orden de aprehensión.
Pandilleros: olor a muerte 2. Para usted, jefa. Peor que las fieras. Pistolero del diablo. Pistoleros famosos. Policía rural. Por eso. Prisioneros de la selva. Programado para morir. Pueblo de madera. Puerto maldito.
Ranger 2: el narcotúnel. Ranger: la última misión. Reportera en peligro.
San Miguel el Alto. Sculo. Secuestro. Secuestro salvaje. Sendero mortal 2. Señalado para morir. Siete en la mira. Simón Blanco. Sinaloa: tierra de hombres.
Tacos de oro. Tempestad de odio. Tengo que matarlos. Terreno prohibido. The Black Widow. The Bloody Monks. The Killer Trailer. The Whip. Tijuana Jones. Todo el horizonte para morir. Todo por nada. Traficantes de muerte. Traficantes de niños. Traición. Transplantes ilegales. Treinta segundos para morir. Tres veces mojado. Tumba para dos. Tumba para un narco.
Un asesinato perfecto. Un corazón para dos. Un hombre violento. Un mulato llamado Martín. Un pistolero implacable. Una leyenda de amor. Una mujer con oficio. Under Siege. Uzi: ráfaga mortal.
Venganza silenciosa. Vengarse matando. Verdugo de traidores. Viajero. Village of the Damned. Violación. Violencia urbana. Vivir o morir.
Yaqui indomable. Yo, el ejecutor.
Yaqui indomable. Yo, el ejecutor.
Zapata.
***Translator’s Note
Román Luján composed this poem out of the titles of Mexican B movies featuring actor Mario Almada. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Almada has the distinction of being the living actor who has appeared in the most movies. In my opinion, the task of the translator (thx, Walter Benjamin) is not to tell you what the poem is doing or analyze it (though it could be suggested that thinking about this poem outside of the context of US-fueled violence and warfare might perhaps imply a kind of travesty of justice). But I can say a bit about the process of translating it. Each title was wrestled and re-thought and a decision was made about what to do with it. Some Spanish titles became English titles and vice versa. Some Spanish titles were left in Spanish and some English titles were left in English. This to reflect the “bilingualism” at play in the original poem as well. I decided to put “bilingualism” in quotes because I wonder about something. Sometimes it is hard to tell if a particular title is in fact in Spanish or in English (357 Magnum, Zapata, Mestizo). The “source” language is already intermixed with the “target” language, to use the terms of professionalized translation. The target is the source is the target is the source. Did this poem ever actually exist in “Spanish”? As if Spanish were separate from English. As if English were not actively chewing away at the inside of Spanish or gnawing on the corners or stealing off bits piece by piece. As if Spanish were one language (just one) and English another language (just one). As if Spanish could be separated out from a global, neoliberal economy that has sent millions of people north and sent thousands of guns south and wait, I said I would not tell you what the poem is doing. In the end, the titles were re-ordered alphabetically to match the gesture of Román’s original. Some order was retained despite it all. ***
Román Luján composed this poem out of the titles of Mexican B movies featuring actor Mario Almada. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Almada has the distinction of being the living actor who has appeared in the most movies. In my opinion, the task of the translator (thx, Walter Benjamin) is not to tell you what the poem is doing or analyze it (though it could be suggested that thinking about this poem outside of the context of US-fueled violence and warfare might perhaps imply a kind of travesty of justice). But I can say a bit about the process of translating it. Each title was wrestled and re-thought and a decision was made about what to do with it. Some Spanish titles became English titles and vice versa. Some Spanish titles were left in Spanish and some English titles were left in English. This to reflect the “bilingualism” at play in the original poem as well. I decided to put “bilingualism” in quotes because I wonder about something. Sometimes it is hard to tell if a particular title is in fact in Spanish or in English (357 Magnum, Zapata, Mestizo). The “source” language is already intermixed with the “target” language, to use the terms of professionalized translation. The target is the source is the target is the source. Did this poem ever actually exist in “Spanish”? As if Spanish were separate from English. As if English were not actively chewing away at the inside of Spanish or gnawing on the corners or stealing off bits piece by piece. As if Spanish were one language (just one) and English another language (just one). As if Spanish could be separated out from a global, neoliberal economy that has sent millions of people north and sent thousands of guns south and wait, I said I would not tell you what the poem is doing. In the end, the titles were re-ordered alphabetically to match the gesture of Román’s original. Some order was retained despite it all. ***
Román Luján, a Mexican poet and literary translator based in Los Angeles, is the author of Instrucciones para hacerse el valiente (2000), Aspa Viento (2003, artist book in collaboration with painter Jordi Boldó), Deshuesadero (2006) and Drâstel (2010). Coeditor of two anthologies of Mexican poetry, his work has appeared in Zur Dos: Última poesía latinoamericana (2004) and Malditos Latinos, Malditos Sudacas: Poesía Iberoamericana Made in USA (2009) among other compilations. He is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Los Angeles.
John Pluecker is a writer, interpreter, translator and co-founder of the language justice and literary experimentation collaborative Antena. His work is informed by experimental poetics, radical aesthetics and cross-border cultural production. His texts have appeared in journals in the U.S. and Mexico, including The Volta, Mandorla, Aufgabe, eleven eleven, Third Text, Animal Shelter, HTMLGiant and Fence. He has translated numerous books from the Spanish, including Tijuana Dreaming: Life and Art at the Global Border (Duke University Press, 2012) and Feminism: Transmissiones and Retransmissions (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011). His most recent chapbooks are Killing Current (Mouthfeel Press, 2012) and Ioyaiene (Handmade for Fresh Arts Houston-based Community Supported Art Program, 2014). His book of poetry and image, Ford Over, is forthcoming in 2016.
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