Gioconda Belli (Nicaragua) is a major figure on the international literary scene. Her work has been translated into over 20 languages, and it includes poetry, novels, essays and children’s literature. This prolific writer has received many awards, including the Biblioteca Breve Prize, the Sor Juan Inés de la Cruz Prize, the Mariano Fiallos Gil Prize, the Casa de las Américas Award, the Anna Seghers Prize and the Generación del 27 International Prize. She is a member of the Nicaraguan Academy of the Language and the French Ministry of Culture recognized her as a Knight of the Order of Arts and Literature. As an activist, Belli was a part of the Sandinista Front, fighting against the Somoza dynasty dictatorship, and she took part in the Sandinista revolution, the subject of her memoire El país bajo mi piel. She is also the author of some very successful novels, including La mujer habitada and Pergamino de la seducción. In 2018 she was awarded the Hermann Kesten Prize, by PEN Germany, for her work in favour of press freedom and human rights. She was also the president of PEN Nicaragua until 2021. In conversation with Carolina Robino.
