“A singular woman, Claribel Alegria was born for literature and has made literature a vital part of her life . . .”—Sergio Ramírez, “A Winged Tiger” (WLT Vol. 81, May 2007)
Claribel Alegría (1924–2018) is often considered the most important contemporary Central American writer. She was born in Estelí, Nicaragua, but spent most of her youth in the Santa Ana region of western El Salvador because of her father’s political exile. In 1943 she came to the United States to study at George Washington University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in philosophy and letters. She would not return to her country of origin until 1979, after the Sandinista National Liberation Front took control of the government. Influenced by the political climate of Central America, Alegría’s poetry focused on the human condition in the region. Alegría’s numerous books of poetry include Anillo de silencio (1948), Acuario (1956), Huésped de mi tiempo (1961), Sobrevivo (1978), Mujer del río /Woman of the River (1989), Saudade (1999; Eng. Sorrow, 1999), and Soltando amarras (2002; Eng. Casting Off, 2003). Her two major poetry anthologies in Spanish include Una vida en poemas, ed. Conny Villafranca F. (2003), and Esto soy: Antología poética de Claribel Alegría, ed. Luis Alvarenga (2004). Posthumously, her work was included in Ghost Fishing: An Eco-Justice Poetry Anthology (2018).
Influenced by the political climate of Central America, Alegría’s poetry has focused on the human condition in the region, which prompted Nicaraguan poet Daisy Zamora (who nominated Alegria for the Neustadt Prize) to say of her work: “She has been an indefatigable advocate for human rights throughout her life, and her work has made an impact around the world because she has unfailingly spoken up for justice and liberty . . . becoming a voice for the voiceless and the dispossessed.” (“Claribel Alegría: The 2006 Neustadt Laureate,” WLT 81, May 2007)
- Claribel Alegría Interviews (Podcasts)
- Listen to Daisy Zamora, George Evans, and Sandy Taylor talk about Alegría’s work on Wisconsin Public Radio’s Here on Earth (May 2007)
2006 Neustadt Jurors and Candidates |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| JURORS | FINALISTS | |||
| Aron Aij (Turkey) | Orhan Pamuk | |||
| Clark Blaise (US) | Alice Munro | |||
| Kwame Dawes (Ghana/Jamaica/US) | Linton Kwesi Johnson | |||
| Li-Young Lee (Indonesia/US) | Gerald Stern | |||
| Zakes Mda (South Africa) | André Brink | |||
| Tina Nunnally (US) | Per Olov Enquist | |||
| Nico Orengo (Italy) | Philip Roth | |||
| Carter Revard (US) | N. Scott Momaday | |||
| Linda Spalding (US/Canada) | Alice Munro | |||
| Susan Rubin Suleiman (US) | Hélène Cixous | |||
| Daisy Zamora (Nicaraqua) | Claribel Alegría | |||
