Ernesto Cardenal: 1925—: Poet

In 1990 and in 1996, the Sandinistas lost the presidential elections. Though many remained loyal to the FSLN, Cardenal renounced his membership in the party in January of 1995. He was deeply disturbed by the human rights violations committed by the FSLN, as well as the increasing corruption within the party. He told the National Catholic Reporter, "The revolution was corrupted when we lost the elections. There was desperation that came along with that loss of power, and there was anxiety to get it back. The leaders of the party created a commander who rules in an authoritarian way." He was referring to Daniel Ortega, the former Sandinista president.

In 1989 Cardenal published what many critics consider his masterpiece, Cosmic Canticle. The nearly 500-page poem tackles the big questions: who are we, why are we here, where are we going. A reviewer on the Alsop Review website noted that Cardenal said the poem is "the culmination of my life's work of some thirty years." Cardenal continued, "It deals with the entire cosmos. That's why the poem is so long. It is principally written in scientific language. I attempt here to unify science and poetry; also poetry and politics, science and mysticism, and mysticism and revolution!" When not composing or reading poetry, Cardenal devoted his time to the Casa de los Tres Mundos, the cultural center he co-founded in 1992 in Granada, Nicaragua. Though his days were filled with art, he was not immune to the strife all around him. In 1998 Nicaragua was rocked by Hurricane Mitch, which killed over 6,000 people and left over 300,000 homeless. By the dawn of the new millennium, Nicaragua was the second poorest nation in Latin America, behind Haiti. It continued to be plagued by economic, political, and social instability. Yet Cardenal, still strong in his faith, continued to express hope for the future. He told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, "Still we have to maintain our hope for a utopia."