Cardenal's bio

'Though Cardenal’s political positions have stirred controversy over the years, his body of work remains an invaluable contribution to Latin American literature in the 20th century, not just for its artistry, but also for the insights into a nation troubled by revolution. Through his readings and appearances in the US, Cardenal has managed to convey a more human truth than other reports from Nicaragua. As Cardenal has grown older, his work has attempted to understand not just the social and political, but the natural world as well. On a PBS Newshour profile, reporter Ray Suarez noted of Cardenal: “His recent work reflects on humanity's connection to nature and relationship to the universe.” In the interview, Cardenal himself spoke about his trajectory as a poet: “In the first place, one matures, and can write about things one couldn't before. One couldn't get poetry out of this theme or this situation. And later, you can do it because you have more technical ability to do it. Now I can do easily things that were impossible for me to do when I was younger. That also happens to painters, I guess, and to all artists and creators. Even politicians mature and become, perhaps, more astute or more cunning.”'  www.poetryfoundation.org