Sergio Witz Rodríguez (born 1962 in

Campeche, Campeche San Francisco de Campeche (; , ), 19th c., also known simply as Campeche, is a city in Campeche Municipality in the Mexican state of Campeche, on the shore of the Bay of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico. Both the seat of the municipality and the ...

) is a Mexican poet. His literary work has been recognized by Mexico's National Fund for Culture and Arts (FONCA), a government agency that promotes the arts and culture by funding promising talents. Witz was the winner of the 1994 Tabasco Poetry Prize. He is the author of "Como hierba ardiente," "Ciudad de paso" and "Mi odio por los barcos." The opinion has been expressed that his writing follows the tradition of the "poètes maudits" such as

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet, essayist, translator and art critic. His poems are described as exhibiting mastery of rhythm and rhyme, containing an exoticism inherited from the Romantics ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Charles Bukowski Henry Charles Bukowski ( ; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, ; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German Americans, German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambien ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In 2002, he published a brief poem titled "La patria entre mierda" ("The Motherland among the Shit"), in which he expressed a desire to use the

flag of Mexico The national flag, national flag of Mexico () is a vertical Tricolour (flag), tricolor of green, white, and red with Coat of arms of Mexico, the national coat of arms charge (heraldry), charged in the center of the white stripe. While the meani ...

as lavatory paper. Because of the controversy caused by this poem, the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

decided to proceed with a prosecution and filed federal charges against Witz for the crime of "insulting national symbols." An amparo relief filing he lodged with the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

was dismissed on October 5, 2005, allowing the prosecution to proceed. On May 7, 2008, a federal court in

Campeche Campeche, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche, is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, make up the Administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the sta ...

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).Multan a poeta por escribir versos contra la Bandera
''El Universal,'' 2008-05-07.]

References

External links

CNCA
1962 births Living people Mexican male poets People from Campeche City Writers from Campeche 20th-century Mexican male writers 20th-century Mexican poets 21st-century Mexican male writers 21st-century Mexican poets {{mexico-writer-stub