Roque Dalton’s Followers (91)

Roque Dalton

Born

in San Salvador, El Salvador

May 14, 1935

Died

May 10, 1975

Genre

Poetry

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Roque Dalton was born on May 14, 1935, in San Salvador, El Salvador. His father was one of the members of the outlaw Dalton brothers and his mother was a registered nurse whose salary supported the family. After a year at the University of Santiago, Chile, Roque Dalton attended the University of San Salvador in 1956, where he helped found the University Literary Circle just before the Salvadoran military set fire to the building. The following year he joined the Communist Party; he was arrested in 1959 and 1960 for inciting students and peasants to revolt against the landowners. Dalton was sentenced to be executed, but his life was saved the day before his sentence was to be carried out, when the dictatorship of Colonel José María Lemus was Roque Dalton was born on May 14, 1935, in San Salvador, El Salvador. His father was one of the members of the outlaw Dalton brothers and his mother was a registered nurse whose salary supported the family. After a year at the University of Santiago, Chile, Roque Dalton attended the University of San Salvador in 1956, where he helped found the University Literary Circle just before the Salvadoran military set fire to the building. The following year he joined the Communist Party; he was arrested in 1959 and 1960 for inciting students and peasants to revolt against the landowners. Dalton was sentenced to be executed, but his life was saved the day before his sentence was to be carried out, when the dictatorship of Colonel José María Lemus was overthrown. He spent 1961 in Mexican exile, writing many of the poems that were published in La Ventana en el rostro ("The Window in My Face," 1961) and El turno del ofendido ("The Injured Party's Turn," 1962). He dedicated the latter book to the Salvadoran police chief who had filed the charges against him.

From Mexico, Dalton naturally gravitated to Cuba, where he was well received by the Cuban and Latin American exiled writers who gathered in the Casa de las Américas. From that point on, starting with La Ventana en el rostro and El Mar ("The Sea") in 1962, almost all of his poetic work was published in Cuba. In the summer of 1965, he returned to El Salvador to continue his political work. Two months after his arrival, he was arrested, tortured, and again sentenced to execution. However, he managed to escape death once more when an earthquake shattered the outer wall of his cell, enabling him to dig his way out through the rubble.

He returned to Cuba and a few months later the Communist Party sent him to Prague as a correspondent for The International Review: Problems of Peace and Socialism. His book Taberna y ostros lugares ("Tavern and Other Places"), reflecting his long stay in Prague, won the Casa de las Américas poetry prize in 1969 and established Roque Dalton, at the age of thirty-four, as one of the best young poets in Latin America. In 1975, a military faction of the Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo (ERP), unjustly accused him of trying to divide their organization and condemned him to death. They executed him on May 10, 1975, four days before his fortieth birthday. ...more

Combine Editions
Roque Dalton’s books

Average rating: 4.26 · 1,501 ratings · 190 reviews · 68 distinct works • Similar authors

	Clandestine Poems/Poemas Clandestinos by Roque Dalton, Barbara Paschke (Editor), Jack Hirschman (Translator) 4.40 avg rating — 188 ratings — published 1980 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Las historias prohibidas de Pulgarcito by Roque Dalton, Carlos Palleiro (Cover Art) 4.31 avg rating — 159 ratings — published 1974 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Taberna y otros lugares (Biblioteca Roque Dalton/ Roque Dalton Library) 4.25 avg rating — 155 ratings — published 2006 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Small Hours of the Night: Selected Poems by Roque Dalton, James Graham (Translator), Paul Pines (Translator) 4.49 avg rating — 107 ratings — published 1983 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Miguel Marmol by Roque Dalton, Richard Schaaf (Translator), Kathleen Ross (Translator) 4.34 avg rating — 97 ratings — published 1987 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Un Libro Levemente Odioso 4.18 avg rating — 80 ratings — published 1988 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	La Ventana en el Rostro 4.24 avg rating — 67 ratings — published 1961 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Pobrecito poeta que era yo 4.28 avg rating — 65 ratings — published 1986 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Antología 4.42 avg rating — 55 ratings — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Un libro rojo para Lenin (Colección Roque Dalton) by Roque Dalton, Néstor Kohan (Preface) 3.90 avg rating — 50 ratings — published 2008 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Roque Dalton…

Series by Roque Dalton

Poesía Completa (1 book)
by

Roque Dalton

4.29 avg rating — 7 ratings

Quotes by Roque Dalton (?)

“Creo que el mundo es bello
que la poesía es como el pan, de todos.

I believe the world is beautiful
and that poetry, like bread, is for everyone”
― Roque Dalton

15 likes

“MORALEJA SOBRE EL INSTRUMENTO

Cuando el picapedrero
ve que se rompe su almágana
antes de construir su labor cotidiana
piensa en tener un instrumento más potente y mejor
y no acusa a la piedra de ser ultraizquierdista
por su forma de existencia resistente y tenaz

PETUAH ALAT PERTUKANGAN
Manakala pandai batu
mendapati palunya rusak
sebelum memulai kerja kesehariannya
terpikir olehnya untuk mencari alat yanglebih kuat dan lebih baik
dan tidak lantas menuduh batu itu ultra-kiri
atas perangainya yang keras dan membangkang ”
― Roque Dalton

4 likes

“Pero ya no habrá tiempo de llorar.

Ha terminado
la hora de la ceniza para mi corazón.

Hace frío sin ti,
pero se vive.”
― Roque Dalton, Poesía escogida. Antología personal

1 likes

See all Roque Dalton's quotes »

Polls

This selection of books is for the country of El Salvador, the theme in January 2023.

Ashes of Izalco by Claribel Alegría

5 votes, 55.6%

Senselessness by Horacio Castellanos Moya

2 votes, 22.2%

One Day of Life by Manlio Argueta

2 votes, 22.2%

Small Hours of the Night: Selected Poems by Roque Dalton

0 votes, 0.0%

9 total votes

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Roque Dalton’s Followers (91)

Roque Dalton

Combine EditionsRoque Dalton’s books

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Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Roque Dalton’s books