Quote by Dulce María Loynaz: “Everything that is, is already dead. Everything that will be, is already past.”

This deeply fatalistic view suggests that existence is inherently tied to decay and that even the future is predetermined. It implies a sense of timelessness where all moments are simultaneously fading and pre-ordained, highlighting life's transient nature.

Amidst the philosophical musings of her major novel, this quote reflects a profound sense of the brevity of life and the relentless march of time, a sentiment often deepened by the widespread losses of the mid-20th century.

Cuban poet and novelist awarded the Cervantes Prize in 1992, often called the greatest Cuban poet of the twentieth century. Her surrealist and symbolist poetry explored love, solitude, and the natural world, and she wrote much of her major work in near-isolation during the Cuban Republic era.