The Life and Works of Honduran Poet Edilberto Cardona Bulnes

Abstract

One of the most important features of Honduran literature is the fact that it lacks an international recognition. Besides, the little that is known about it focuses on those authors who deal mostly with the political turmoil that has defined the region's history. Although valid, this perception ignores the existence of a wide variety of discourses such as those that strive for a literature that does not depend on historical events but on a more personal view upon the role literature is bound to play in society. Such is the case of the works of Honduran poet Edilberto Cardona Bulnes, whose poetry is completely unknown even in his own country. Being the first critical approach to the author, this study is aimed not only to rescue his works from oblivion but also to demonstrate that he is our most innovative and daring poet. His books transcend nationalistic boundaries since they are part of a current linked to French, Spanish, and North American poetry. By focussing on the intrinsic importance of poetic language and detaching himself from the historical events around him, Cardona Bulnes assumed his own isolation and that of his books. This dilemma is an essential feature that defines the foreign writers he dialogues with and, paradoxically, grants him and Honduran literature the international dimension that it lacks.