La poesía posmodernista en Centroamérica

Abstract

When writing about Central American postmodernist poetry we are not establishing that there exists a unified literature produced by the six countries in the region. However, there are many literary relations and common elements. This poetry is produced mainly between the two world wars, when modernism, which has long life in the region, is surpassed in postmodernism or rejected in the avant guard movements. The first tendency is inclined toward themes from everyday life; simple and plain language; pessimism as existential attitude; reflexive tones; the return to the classics; mild modernist rhythms; and renewed interest in the native rural world. In Central America some poets from every country stand out: Rafael Arévalo Martínez and Wyld Ospina in Guatemala; Alfredo Espino and Claudia Lars in El Salvador; Azaharías Pallais and Alfonso Cortés in Nicaragua; Rafael Heliodoro Valle in Honduras; Carlos Luis Sáenz and Francisco Amighetti in Costa Rica; and Demetrio Korsi and Moisés Castillo in Panamá. The most outstanding characteristic of postmodernist poetry in the region is "nativismo", an idealized vision of nature and rural life, which coincides with "criollismo" in narrative literature.