Cardenal's 600-page epic poem, blending astrophysics, theology and revolutionary ideology is often mentioned as his major work, yet it is rarely discussed in its entirety, much less assessed as a potentially cohesive work of art. This talk is an attempt to bridge that gap.

Stephen Henighan’s scholarly publications on Central America include Assuming the Light. The Parisian Literary Apprenticeship of Miguel Ángel Asturias (1999), Sandino’s Nation: Ernesto Cardenal and Sergio Ramírez Writing Nicaragua, 1940-2012 (2014) and, as co-editor with Candace Johnson, Human and Environmental Justice in Guatemala (2018). He is the English translator of Rodrigo Rey Rosa’s novel The Country of Toó (2023). His own novel set in Guatemala, The Path of the Jaguar (2016) was published in Spanish translation in Guatemala as La senda del jaguar (2022). He is the author of nine other books of fiction, as well as scholarly works on the literatures of Canada and Lusophone Africa and books of reportage on themes ranging from climate change to Eastern European politics.