Nicaraguan literature can be traced to

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...

times with the myths and oral literature that formed the cosmogonic view of the world that indigenous people had. They told him that of these stories are still known in Nicaragua. Like many Latin American countries, the Spanish conquerors have had the most effect on both the culture and the literature. The literature of

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

has had many important literary figures in the Spanish language with internationally prominent writers such as

Rubén Darío Félix Rubén García Sarmiento (January 18, 1867 – February 6, 1916), known as Rubén Darío ( , ), was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-language literary movement known as ''modernismo'' (modernism) that flourished at the end of ...

, who is regarded as the most important literary figure in Nicaragua. He is referred to as the ''"Father of Modernism"'' for leading the

modernismo ''Modernismo'' is a literary movement that took place primarily during the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth-century in the Spanish-speaking world, best exemplified by Rubén Darío who is also known as the father of ''Modernismo''. The ter ...

literary movement at the end of the 19th century. Other important literary figures include

Salomón de la Selva Salomón de la Selva (March 20, 1893 – February 5, 1959) was a Nicaraguan poet and honorary member of the Mexican Academy of Language. Biography Salomón de la Selva was born on March 20, 1893, in León, Nicaragua, son of Salomón Selva Glenton ...

, Carlos Martínez Rivas, Pablo Antonio Cuadra, Alberto Cuadra Mejia, Manolo Cuadra Vega, Pablo Alberto Cuadra Arguello,

Ernesto Cardenal Ernesto Cardenal Martínez (20 January 1925 – 1 March 2020) was a Nicaraguan Catholic priest, poet, and politician. He was a liberation theologian and the founder of the primitivist art community in the Solentiname Islands, where he lived fo ...

Sergio Ramírez Mercado Sergio may refer to: * Sergius (name), Sergio (given name), for people with the given name Sergio * Sergio (carbonado), the largest rough diamond ever found * Sergio (album), ''Sergio'' (album), a 1994 album by Sergio Blass * Sergio (2009 film), ' ...

, Gioconda Belli,

José Coronel Urtecho José Coronel Urtecho (28 February 1906 – 19 March 1994) was a Nicaraguan poet, translator, essayist, critic, narrator, playwright, diplomat and historian. He has been described as "the most influential Nicaraguan thinker of the twentieth centu ...

Alfonso Cortés Alfonso Cortés (9 December 1893 – 3 February 1969) was a Nicaraguan poet. He is often referred to as the second-most-important Nicaraguan poet, with Rubén Darío, who initiated the Spanish-American literary movement known as modernismo (moder ...

, Julio Valle Castillo, and Claribel Alegría, among others.

History

'' El Güegüense'' is a satirical drama and was the first literary work of post-Columbian Nicaragua. It is regarded as one of Latin America's most distinctive colonial-era expressions and as Nicaragua's signature folkloric masterpiece combining music, dance and theater. The theatrical play was written by an anonymous author in the 16th century, making it one of the oldest indigenous theatrical/dance works of the Western Hemisphere. It was passed down orally for many centuries until it was finally written down and published into a book in 1942.

Literary movements

Modernismo

The

Modernismo ''Modernismo'' is a literary movement that took place primarily during the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth-century in the Spanish-speaking world, best exemplified by Rubén Darío who is also known as the father of ''Modernismo''. The ter ...

literary movement Literary movements are a way to divide literature into categories of similar philosophical, topical, or aesthetic features, as opposed to divisions by genre or period. Like other categorizations, literary movements provide language for comparing ...

was a Spanish-American literary movement, best exemplified by Nicaraguan

, who is respectfully referred to as the "Father of Modernism". In the late 19th century, ''Modernismo'' emerged, a poetic movement whose recapitulation was a blending of three European currents:

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

Symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: Arts * Symbolism (arts), a 19th-century movement rejecting Realism ** Symbolist movement in Romania, symbolist literature and visual arts in Romania during the late 19th and early 20th centuries ** Russian sym ...

and especially Parnassianism. Inner passions, visions, harmonies and rhythms are expressed in a rich, highly stylized verbal music. This movement was of great influence in the whole Spanish-speaking world (including the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

), finding a temporary vogue also among the Generación del 98 in Spain, which posited various reactions to its perceived

aestheticism Aestheticism (also the Aesthetic movement) was an art movement in the late 19th century which privileged the aesthetic value of literature, music and the arts over their socio-political functions. According to Aestheticism, art should be pro ...

. Modernismo was the first Latin American literary movement to influence literary culture outside of the region, and was also the first truly

Latin American literature Latin American literature consists of the oral and written literature of Latin America in several languages, particularly in Spanish, Portuguese, and the indigenous languages of the Americas. It rose to particular prominence globally during the ...

, in that national differences were no longer so much at issue. Though Modernismo itself is often seen as aestheticist and anti-political, some poets and essayists, introduced compelling critiques of the contemporary social order and particularly the plight of Latin America's indigenous peoples.

Poetry after Modernismo

Twentieth-century poetry in Nicaragua has often expressed political commitment, particularly given the model provided by Chilean Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda, and followed by such poets as the Nicaragua's

The Vanguardia

The Vanguardia was a literary movement that started in

Granada, Nicaragua Granada () is a city in western Nicaragua and the capital of the Granada Department. With an estimated population of 104,980 (2021), it is Nicaragua's ninth most populous city. Granada is historically one of Nicaragua's most important cities, eco ...

between 1927 and 1929, the movement was led by the Nicaraguan poet

. According to literary manifests which were published in 1931, one of Coronel's objectives were to ''"initiate a struggle to get the public attention through artistic expressions, intellectual scandal, and aggressive criticism"''. The Vanguardia literary movement reflected several European movements, especially Surrealism. Vanguardia instituted a radical search for new, daring, confrontational themes and shockingly novel forms.

References

External links

Nicaraguan LiteratureMarcaAcme
Nicaragua Art, Literature and Culture {{North American topic, , literature

Literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

Central American literature Latin American literature by country North American literature Spanish-language literature