Alfonso Cortés (9 December 1893 – 3 February 1969) was a

Nicaraguan Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America after Guatemala and ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

. He is often referred to as the second-most-important Nicaraguan poet, with

Rubén Darío Félix Rubén García Sarmiento (18 January 1867 – 6 February 1916), known as Rubén Darío ( , ), was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-language literary movement known as '' modernismo'' (modernism) that flourished at the end of ...

, who initiated the Spanish-American literary movement known as

modernismo ''Modernismo'' is a literary movement that took place primarily during the end of the nineteenth and early 20th century in the Spanish-speaking world, best exemplified by Rubén Darío, who is known as the father of ''modernismo''. The term ''m ...

(modernism), being the first. Before his death, he often said he was "less important than Darío, but more profound".

Early life

Cortés was born in the colonial city of León,

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

. At the age of 34, he moved into the house in which the famous and most celebrated Nicaraguan poet,

, spent his childhood. Cortés lost his mind, (due to a lack of clinical studies this is how he is being diagnosed) on midnight of 18 February 1927 at the age of 34. As a result of his delirium, Cortés spent much of that year chained to the iron grillwork of his bedroom because of fear he could possibly hurt himself. A few years of Cortés life were spent in a

mental hospital A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe mental disorders. These institutions cater to patients with ...

Managua Managua () is the capital city, capital and largest city of Nicaragua, and one of the List of largest cities in Central America, largest cities in Central America. Located on the shores of Lake Managua, the city had an estimated population of 1, ...

. As time passed Cortés was transferred to his sisters' (Margarita, Maria Luisa and Maria Elsa) house in León where he eventually spent his last days and died in 1969 at the age of 75. Cortés had moments of lucidity during which his family would unchain him and he would use that time to play guitar. The guitar is now owned by a great nephew and is treasured and preserved. Cortés would write his poetry, often written in the margins of newspapers, in a script so microscopic that they are hard to read without a magnifying glass. ''Song of Space'' was the first poem Cortés wrote after he went mad and it remains one of his most popular. After his death he was buried with honors in the Cathedral of León next to the tomb of Rubén Darío.

Literary works

Poems

*La odisea del Istmo (1922) *Poesías (1931) *Tardes de oro (1934) *Poemas eleusinos (1935) *Las siete antorchas del sol (1952) *30 poemas de Alfonso (1952) *Las rimas universales (1964) *Las coplas del pueblo (1965) *Las pumas del pasatiempo (1967) *El poema cotidiano (1967) *Treinta poemas (1968) *Poemas (1971) *Antología (1980) *30 poemas de Alfonso (1981) *El tiempo es hambre y el espacio es frío (1981).

References

External links

Alfonso Cortés at nicaragua.com
''(in English)''

''(in Spanish)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Cortes, Alfonso 1893 births 1969 deaths 20th-century Nicaraguan poets Nicaraguan male poets 20th-century Nicaraguan male writers