FIL Literature

Naming Central America

At the FIL we are convinced that without Central America, Latin America is incomplete. And that is why, as of 2015, we are naming Central America, not only its authors. We want to provide a space for discussion, to build bridges that bring readers closer to the great works of that region and, through this colorful lens, to see beyond the borders of the countries that make up the belt of America.

To name Central America is also to name the narrow waist of what Carlos Fuentes called “the land of La Mancha.” One cannot think of Central America and leave aside authors to whom Latin American literature owes an immense debt. We are referring to Rubén Darío, Salarrué, Miguel Ángel Asturias and Augusto Monterroso, among many others. But beyond this, what do we know about Central America and its authors? How do Central American authors narrate the region? What are the discourses of the new literature of the Isthmus? Where is Central American literature headed?