Blanco

Published in 1967, Blanco is an enigmatic poem written by the Mexican Nobel laureate Octavio Paz, which explores identity, existence, and the nature of reality, delving into themes of solitude, time, language, and the search for meaning in a world that often seems elusive and transient.

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This app offers the opportunity to read the poem on a screen, following the author’s original idea: "a succession of signs on a single page; as the reading progresses, the page unfolds: a space that, in its movement reveals the text, and in a certain way, produces it" ⎯ and includes a selection of video commentary, facsimiles, hand-written notes, related documents, photos, and contextual timelines.

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Blanco is part of an app series launched in 2011 by Mexico's Ministry of Culture featuring the life and work of celebrated Mexican poets, including Octavio Paz, José Gorostiza, Amado Nervo, Jorge Cuesta, and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz ⎯ whose goal is to imagine new ways to bring literature closer to new generations through digital technologies.

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In 2012, Blanco won the Best Design Award by The Next Web, and with more than 100,000 downloads worldwide, it was the most downloaded app on the App Store and Google Play for seven consecutive months.