Gioconda Belli

Several excerpts from Gioconda Belli's 'The Country under my Skin' - a memoir of love and war (in Nicaragua) -

I have always been enamored of it's physical beauty, it's wide lakes and tall volcanoes, its trees of abundant foliage like a wild woman's mane, its humid ravines filled with the pungent aroma of coffee plants, its voluptuous Rubenesque clouds. Its fantastic sunsets and torrential downpours.

Belli speaks of the status of poets in her book - '...in Nicaragua, poets are venerated, celebrated figures. Our national hero, the most acclaimed Nicaraguan is Ruben Dario, a poet who is considered the father of modernism in the Spanish language. To be known as a poet in my country is to enjoy on of the highest, most cherished status symbols in society.'

It is often believed that poetry can reveal a person's deepest dears and desires. It shows us the soul of a nation. I've tried to locate Dario's works to read before my trip to Nicaragua, but unfortunately have a hard time finding any translated work. It is wonderful to know that there are places in the world where poets are revered. Nicaraguans must be a romantic, passionate people that they can surrender themselves to the beauty and power of words.

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