Origen y función del humor en la poesía mística de Ernesto Cardenal

Abstract

The use of the resource of humor is one of the most unique characteristics of the mystical poetry of Nicaraguan author Ernesto Cardenal, especially in his last poetry compilation, Telescopio en la noche oscura (1993). The origin of humor in his mystical discourse is related to his personal and cultural origins, since the Nicaraguan people are known for their sense of humor. In the same way, he is influenced by the poetry of the Latin poets, Catulo and Marcial, and by the influence of Ezra Pound and the North American imagists, known through the Generación del 40, such as Colonel Urtrecho and Nicaraguan vanguardism. Cardenal's humor, whose fundamental function is to serve as an instrument to describe an experience beyond the senses and the discourse of reason, contrasts with the solemnity that the traditional mystical speech is characterized by, at least, the Christian one, enriching it significantly.