Pablo Antonio Cuadra
Encyclopedia
Pablo Antonio Cuadra was a Nicaraguan
essayist, art
and literary critic, playwright
, graphic artist and one of the most famous poet
s of Nicaragua
.
but spent the majority of his life in Granada
. Cuadra or PAC was the son of Carlos Cuadra Pasos and Mercedita Cardenal. Cuadra is a first cousin of the writer Ernesto Cardenal
.
, Joaquín Pasos
, and other writers, founded the Vanguardia literary movement in Granada
.
in the 1930s and broke with the Somoza
dynasty in the 1940s.
In 1954 he became co-director of La Prensa
newspaper alongside his cousin and partner, Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal. Chamorro was assassinated by Somoza supporters in 1978. Cuadra was briefly jailed in 1956 for his opposition to the Somoza's régime. In 1961 he became editor of the influential journal El Pez y La Serpiente (The Fish and the Serpent), which was highly influential in Latin America
.
Cuadra became an outspoken advocate for Nicaragua's poor, embracing liberation theology
and other intellectual currents which the Somoza government considered subversive. He later criticized the post-1979 Sandinista National Liberation Front
régime for stifling the independence of Nicaragua's culture. For several years thereafter, he lived in self-imposed exile
in Costa Rica
and Texas
.
In 1995 Cuadra was Honored with an honorary doctorate degree by Universidad Francisco Marroquín
.
in 1991.
Nicaraguan
Nicaraguans are people inhabiting in, originating or having significant heritage from Nicaragua. Most Nicaraguans live in Nicaragua, although there is also a significant Nicaraguan diaspora, particularly in Costa Rica and the United States with smaller communities in other countries around the world...
essayist, art
Art critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
and literary critic, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, graphic artist and one of the most famous poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
s of Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.
Early life and career
Cuadra was born on November 4, 1912, in ManaguaManagua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
but spent the majority of his life in Granada
Granada, Nicaragua
Granada is a city in western Nicaragua and the capital of the Granada Department. With an estimated population of 110,326 , it is Nicaragua's fourth most populous city. Granada is historically one of Nicaragua's most important cities, economically and politically...
. Cuadra or PAC was the son of Carlos Cuadra Pasos and Mercedita Cardenal. Cuadra is a first cousin of the writer Ernesto Cardenal
Ernesto Cardenal
Reverend Father Ernesto Cardenal Martínez is a Nicaraguan Catholic priest and was one of the most famous liberation theologians of the Nicaraguan Sandinistas, a party he has since left. From 1979 to 1987 he served as Nicaragua's first culture minister. He is also famous as a poet...
.
Vanguardia movement
In 1931 Cuadra, along with José Coronel UrtechoJosé Coronel Urtecho
José Coronel Urtecho was a Nicaraguan poet, translator, essayist, critic, narrator, playwright, diplomat and historian. He has been described as "the most influential Nicaraguan thinker of the twentieth century"...
, Joaquín Pasos
Joaquín Pasos
Joaquín Pasos was a Nicaraguan poet, narrator, and essayist. He was one of the leading figures of the national Vanguardia literary movement...
, and other writers, founded the Vanguardia literary movement in Granada
Granada, Nicaragua
Granada is a city in western Nicaragua and the capital of the Granada Department. With an estimated population of 110,326 , it is Nicaragua's fourth most populous city. Granada is historically one of Nicaragua's most important cities, economically and politically...
.
Later career
Cuadra's Poemas nicaragüenses was published in 1934. He opposed the American intervention against Augusto César SandinoAugusto César Sandino
Augusto Nicolás Calderón Sandino was a Nicaraguan revolutionary and leader of a rebellion against the U.S. military occupation of Nicaragua between 1927 and 1933...
in the 1930s and broke with the Somoza
Somoza
The Somoza family was an influential political dynasty who ruled Nicaragua as an hereditary dictatorship. Their influence exceeded their combined 43 years in the de facto presidency, as they were the power behind the other presidents of the time through their control of the National Guard...
dynasty in the 1940s.
In 1954 he became co-director of La Prensa
La Prensa (Managua)
La Prensa is a Nicaraguan newspaper, with offices in the capital Managua. Its current daily circulation is placed at 42,000.-Early years:La Prensa was founded by Pedro Belli, Gavry Rivas and Enrique Belli on March 2, 1926...
newspaper alongside his cousin and partner, Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal. Chamorro was assassinated by Somoza supporters in 1978. Cuadra was briefly jailed in 1956 for his opposition to the Somoza's régime. In 1961 he became editor of the influential journal El Pez y La Serpiente (The Fish and the Serpent), which was highly influential in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
.
Cuadra became an outspoken advocate for Nicaragua's poor, embracing liberation theology
Liberation theology
Liberation theology is a Christian movement in political theology which interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions...
and other intellectual currents which the Somoza government considered subversive. He later criticized the post-1979 Sandinista National Liberation Front
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
régime for stifling the independence of Nicaragua's culture. For several years thereafter, he lived in self-imposed exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
In 1995 Cuadra was Honored with an honorary doctorate degree by Universidad Francisco Marroquín
Universidad Francisco Marroquín
Universidad Francisco Marroquín is a private, secular, university in Guatemala City, Guatemala. According to the school's website, "the mission of Universidad Francisco Marroquín is to teach and disseminate the ethical, legal and economic principles of a sociey of free and responsible persons."...
.
Death
He died on January 2, 2002 in Managua, following a respiratory illness. Cuadra was buried on January 4 in Granada, where he spent the majority of his life.Awards
Cuadra won many literary honors, among them the Gabriela Mistral Inter-American Cultural Prize, awarded by the Organization of American StatesOrganization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
in 1991.
Published works
External links
- https://www.ufm.edu/cms/es/honorary-doctoral-degreesHonorary Doctoral Degrees, Universidad Francisco MarroquínUniversidad Francisco MarroquínUniversidad Francisco Marroquín is a private, secular, university in Guatemala City, Guatemala. According to the school's website, "the mission of Universidad Francisco Marroquín is to teach and disseminate the ethical, legal and economic principles of a sociey of free and responsible persons."...
] - Comprehensive Bibliography
- Poem set to music