Woman Of The River

by Claribel Alegría, Darwin Flakoll (Translator)

In Woman of the River one of the major voices in Latin American poetry confronts the political realities of contemporary Central America.  Many of the poems are political, direct, and condemnatory of the United States’ presence in Latin America, and they are rich, human documents rooted in Alegria’s knowledge of and love for her subjects. 

As Carolyn Forche has written of Alegria’s previous selection of poems, Flowers from the “These poems are testimonies to the value of a single human memory, political in the sense that there is no life apart from our common destiny.  They are poems of passionate witness and confrontation.  Responding to those who would state that politics has no place in poetry, she would add her voice to that of Neruda’ we do not wish to please them . . . .” She carries within her the ancient blood of the Pipiles and laces her language with mesitizo richness.”

Genres: Poetry

95 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Clara Isabel Alegría Vides was a Nicaraguan poet, essayist, novelist, and journalist who is a major voice in the literature of contemporary Central America. She writes under the pseudonym Claribel Alegría. She was awarded the 2006 Neustadt International Prize for Literature.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Cody Stetzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine work but despite its societal consciousness seems to carry forth plenty of anti sex worker themes too. As though the work cannot both grieve the loss of political figures or revolutionaries, and be kind to women across situations.

[Wherefore Art Thou · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn’t my thing really. Few poems called out to me.

[Anetq · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poems from and about El Salvador and the neighboring countries, poverty, struggles, exile. Great - (and available through JStor).