Carlos Martínez Rivas (1924-1998) 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 ...

, most famous for his poem "El paraíso recobrado" ("The recovered paradise"), a love poem first published in 1944.

Early years and time in Spain

Rivas was born on October 12, 1924, in Puerto de Ocoz, Guatemala, where his parents were vacationing.Como toca un ciego el cielo by Carlos Martinez Rívas Managua, Nicaragua 2012 From an early age, Martinez Rivas showed a special talent for poetry. He won his first poetry competition at age 16 and at age 18, while still a high school student at Colegio Centro-América, a Jesuit school in

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, ...

he wrote "El paraiso recobrado" which was published in 1944. After graduating from high school, Martinez Rivas moved to Spain. While living in Spain he studied literature and philosophy at the

Universidad Complutense de Madrid The Complutense University of Madrid (, UCM; ) is a public research university located in Madrid. Founded in Alcalá in 1293 (before relocating to Madrid in 1836), it is one of the oldest operating universities in the world, and one of Spain's ...

and wrote a couple of pieces that were published in "Alferez", a Spanish magazine that also published works by Julio Ycaza Tigerino and

Pablo Antonio Cuadra Pablo Antonio Cuadra (November 4, 1912 – January 2, 2002) was a Nicaraguan essayist, art and literary critic, playwright, graphic artist, political activist and one of the most influential poets of Nicaragua. Early life and career Cuadra was b ...

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Mexico and diplomatic career

Martinez Rivas moved to Mexico in the early 1950s. There he published his most famous work, a book of poems titled "La insurrección solitaria" ("The solitary insurrection".) "The solitary insurrection" was to become Martinez Rivas's last published work. After Mexico, Martinez Rivas worked for the Nicaraguan foreign service. In this capacity he lived in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

San José, Costa Rica San José (; meaning "Saint Joseph") is the capital city, capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and the capital of San José Province. It is in the center of the country, in the mid-west of the Costa Rican Central Valley, Central Valley, wi ...

and again in Madrid. After his diplomatic career, Martinez Rivas worked as a professor at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua. He died in Managua, Nicaragua on June 16, 1998. He is buried in

Granada, Nicaragua Granada () is a city in western Nicaragua and the capital of the Granada Department. With an estimated population of 105,862 (2022), it is Nicaragua's ninth most populous city. Granada is historically one of Nicaragua's most important cities, econ ...

References

* http://www.filosofia.org/ave/001/a025.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez Rivas, Carlos 1924 births 1998 deaths 20th-century Nicaraguan poets Nicaraguan male poets 20th-century Nicaraguan male writers Academic staff of the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua Nicaraguan expatriates in Mexico Nicaraguan expatriates in Costa Rica Nicaraguan expatriates in the United States Nicaraguan expatriates in Spain