Sergio Witz
Encyclopedia
Sergio Witz Rodríguez is a Mexican
poet. His literary work has been recognized by the FONCA
(a government agency that promotes the arts and culture by funding promising talents). Sergio Witz is known because he was the winner of the 1994 Tabasco Poetry Prize and has also been awarded with other prizes. He is the author of "Hierba ardiente", "Ciudad de paso" and "Mi odio por los barcos". He can be considered to follow the tradition of the "poètes maudits" such as Charles Baudelaire
in France
and Charles Bukowski
in the United States
.
In 2002 he published a brief poem under the title "La patria entre mierda" ("The Motherland among the Shit"), in which he expressed a desire to use the flag of Mexico
as lavatory paper. Because of this, The Attorney General
's filed federal charges against him for "insulting national symbols". An amparo
relief filing he lodged with the Supreme Court was dismissed on October 5, 2005, allowing the prosecution to proceed. On May 7, 2008 a federal court in Campeche found him guilty and, ignoring the public prosecutor's request that a custodial sentence be imposed, ordered him to pay a fine of $
50 (€3.10, US$4.75).
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
poet. His literary work has been recognized by the FONCA
FONCA
The National Fund for Culture and Arts is a public agency of the Mexican federal government, attached to the National Council for Culture and the Arts ....
(a government agency that promotes the arts and culture by funding promising talents). Sergio Witz is known because he was the winner of the 1994 Tabasco Poetry Prize and has also been awarded with other prizes. He is the author of "Hierba ardiente", "Ciudad de paso" and "Mi odio por los barcos". He can be considered to follow the tradition of the "poètes maudits" such as Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the nineteenth century...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Charles Bukowski
Charles Bukowski
Henry Charles Bukowski was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In 2002 he published a brief poem under the title "La patria entre mierda" ("The Motherland among the Shit"), in which he expressed a desire to use the flag of Mexico
Flag of Mexico
The flag of Mexico is a vertical tricolor of green, white, and red with the national coat of arms charged in the center of the white stripe. While the meaning of the colors has changed over time, these three colors were adopted by Mexico following independence from Spain during the country's War...
as lavatory paper. Because of this, The Attorney General
Attorney General (Mexico)
The Attorney General of Mexico is the head of the Office of the General Prosecutor and the Federal Public Ministry , an institution belonging to the Federal executive branch that is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of...
's filed federal charges against him for "insulting national symbols". An amparo
Amparo (law)
The writ of amparo is a remedy for the protection of constitutional rights, found in certain jurisdictions...
relief filing he lodged with the Supreme Court was dismissed on October 5, 2005, allowing the prosecution to proceed. On May 7, 2008 a federal court in Campeche found him guilty and, ignoring the public prosecutor's request that a custodial sentence be imposed, ordered him to pay a fine of $
Mexican peso
The peso is the currency of Mexico. Modern peso and dollar currencies have a common origin in the 15th–19th century Spanish dollar, most continuing to use its sign, "$". The Mexican peso is the 12th most traded currency in the world, the third most traded in the Americas, and by far the most...
50 (€3.10, US$4.75).