Solentiname

"This book and its beautiful, unforgettable photographs of the rural community of Solentiname, in Nicaragua, shows us the core of a dream that was a myth and remains even more so as time passes. A myth based on testimonies as vital as the one offered by Ana Cristina with the lucid eye of her camera. Sergio Ram�rez Mercado, Miguel de Cervantes prize 2017 Photojournalism and art all in one In her book, a photographic essay with plenty of narrative, Ana Cristina captures the essence of daily life in Solentiname, its foundational structure and activities; its philosophical basis and applied Christian principles. You can see its humble inhabitants going around their business, you feel the happiness in their faces while playing sports, their deep devotion while attending mass, their concentrated focus while having group discussions, their dedication while fishing, painting, or reading. And among all that, the figure of Ernesto Cardenal, a trappist monk who abandoned his reclusion in the USA to come to his native Nicaragua and write and work for and among the poor. Over 60 pages of photographs and narratives take the reader to 1974, when Ana Cristina decided to make the trek to the archipelago of Solentiname in the center of lake Xolotlan, after attending a presentation of Cardenal at a university in Venezuela. The black and white photos give the book a character of reportage, but it is much more than that. It is a chronicle, a journal, a confession, a series of portraits, a historical document, and a work of art. The narratives by Ana Cristina Henriquez are terse, direct, and say enough to describe the world of Solentiname and allow the photographs to complement and exceed the words. A picture speaks more than a thousand words. Danilo L�pez Roman Escritor/arquitecto ""Solentiname, encountering a myth"". Ana Cristina Henr�quez, as a young journalism student (Caracas, UCAB, 1974), made, with a high dose of courage and idealism, a visit to the priest and poet Ernesto Cardenal, in Solentiname Island (Nicaragua), achieving a beautiful portrait of that simple and laborious community, guided and inspired by the honest and supportive religiosity of Father Cardenal. The book published today is a jewel, for the notes of the exceptional life of that utopian village and for the eloquent photographic chronicle, full of talent and sensitivity. It is a document of an active voice of that generation of young people moved by the world of the cold war, the absurd Vietnam war, oppression, contrasts and excesses; young people eager to change the inhuman, aggressive and exploitative prevailing system. ""Solentiname, encountering a myth"", is a valuable adventure, guided by the yearning for a better world, which has materialized 48 years later in this book, winner of the International Latino Book Awards 2022. Inspiring. Welcome! Bravo! Carlos Rasquin Psiquiatra/psicoanalista"