A Nation of Poets: Poetry from Nicaraguan Workshops

After the Sandinistas took control of Nicaragua from the Somoza family's dictatorship, they named the country's most famous poet, Ernesto Cardinal, as Minister of Culture. One of the most ambitious programs Cardinal created was a series of poetry workshops that would bring teachers and poets to every corner of Nicaragua. In the towns and cities of a nation torn apart by years of oppression -- and, indeed, years of illiteracy -- suddenly, poetry began to be written. The people gained a voice.This book is a bilingual collection of the people's poems. Here are the voices of the everyday -- voices of hope, of pain, of yearning. Here are images of war and suffering, but also images of daily life in an extraordinary place. In Nicaragua, to call someone a poet is a high form of praise and respect. Within these pages, you can read the words of people who once were allowed no words at all, but who briefly, for a revolutionary moment, each earned the title of poet. While Nicaragua may not have actually become a nation of poets, there was a time when that vision didn't seem so idealistic. This book is a vivid testament to that vision and that time.