Clean Slate: New & Selected Poems

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Summary: The passionate heart of a Nicaraguan poet
Review: "Clean Slate: New and Selected Poems," by Daisy Zamora, is a fine volume of poetry by this Nicaraguan author. The poems have been translated into English by the mother/daughter team of Elinor and Margaret Randall. The poems are presented in a bilingual format, with the Spanish originals and English versions on facing pages.

Many of Zamora's poems are about feminist issues and/or the Nicaraguan revolution. Her work is graced my moments of both hope and paradox. Many poems recall the lives of various women: a female guerrilla ("Commander Two"), an oppressed wife ("Loyal Housewife"), a nurse enraged at United States action in Nicaragua ("Emilia, the Nurse"), and more. There is even a poem about the women of Greco-Roman mythology ("Alter Ego").

One of the collection's most distinctive pieces is "Radio Sandino," a long poem which evokes scenes from Nicaragua's civil war. Zamora frequently evokes or pays tribute to other poets: Gabriela Mistral, Sylvia Plath, Ruben Dario, etc. Overall, an impressive collection by a strong voice in Latin American literature.

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Summary: Every woman should read this!
Review: Her poetry truly touches the heart. I think every woman can relate to some aspect of her poetry.

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Summary: REVIEW QUOTES
Review: To be a woman in revolutionary Nicaragua meant to take an active role in reshaping a country. Daisy Zamora came out of that experience as a poet who found her own voice in the context of extraordinary popular struggle. CLEAN SLATE: NEW & SELECTED POEMS is a collection that embodies a spirit of personal and political liberation. This collection includes works written between the years 1968 and 1993.

"Through her introspective early work, as well as through previously uncollected recent poems, we see the poet at her lyrical best." --Publishers Weekly

"..its real value is that those who read only English can through this bilingual edition appreciate Nicaraguan poetry and the writings of one of the greatest women exponents of the recent life and times of its people." --World Literature Today

"Zamora [was] shaped by revolution and gender, but [her] voice is true and universal, transcending political boundaries and sounding clear notes of sanity in times of madness. Highly accessible for general readers and indispensable for Latin American and women's studies collections." --MultiCultural Review