Spinoza Lecture 2023: Gioconda Belli

“From Rubén Darío to Ernesto Cardenal: Nicaraguan poetry, a beautiful anomaly” is the title of the Spinoza Lecture 2023, delivered by Nicaraguan-born novelist and poet Gioconda Belli in the auditorium of the University of Leiden.

Gioconda Belli is a Nicaraguan-born novelist and poet known for her contributions to Nicaraguan literature. Her work is characterized by its strong political, feminist and erotic commitment. It incorporates the political and social struggles of Nicaragua, with a focus on gender oppression in Nicaragua and Latin America. Her first novel, The Inhabited Woman, sold over 500,000 copies and has been published internationally. Other works include Línea de fuego, El Taller de las mariposas and El país de las mujeres.

In recent years, Belli was stripped of her Nicaraguan citizenship by the government of President Daniel Ortega but continues to be recognized for her literary achievements. She was awarded the Reina Sofia Ibero-American Poetry prize for her feminist and erotic literature. Belli’s work has been translated into over 20 languages, including poetry collections, novels, essays, testimonials, and children’s stories.

The Spinoza Lecture

The Spinoza Lecture, a significant yearly event for the Spanish-speaking community, has taken place in the Netherlands since 2005. It is organized by the Cultural Department of the Spanish Embassy in The Hague, the University of Amsterdam, and the Cervantes Institute of Utrecht. In previous editions, it has had the participation of prominent figures of Hispanic literature such as Mario Vargas Llosa, Elena Poniatowska, Antonio Muñoz Molina, Rosa Montero and Isabel Allende.