From the waist of America: Voices from Guatemala and Nicaragua

As part of Cervantes Week 2025, we celebrate International Book Day with a special program dedicated to the literary richness of Central America. Under the title “From the waist of America: Voices from Guatemala and Nicaragua”, we bring together three outstanding authors whose work reflects the diversity, memory and tensions of their countries of origin. From Guatemala, we have David Unger, a U.S.-based writer and translator whose narrative in English and Spanish offers an intimate and critical look at Latin American identity and history. He is joined by Guatemalan Denise Phe-Funchal, author of novels and short stories that sharply explore themes such as violence, memory and the female condition. From Nicaragua, we are joined by Fátima Villalta, one of the freshest voices in Central American literature, whose work addresses with sensitivity and strength the youthful experiences and socio-political conflicts of her country. This meeting is an opportunity to immerse oneself in the multiple voices emerging from the waist of America, a small geographic space but with an immense literary tradition. Through their stories, these writers invite us to travel the paths of memory, identity and resistance, demonstrating that Central American literature remains vibrant and in constant dialogue with the world.