Vida perdida (Tres Mundos) (Spanish Edition) [Paperback]

Ernesto Cardenal (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: Spanish

Product Details

• Paperback: 459 pages
• Publisher: Planeta; 1. ed edition (April 1999)
• Language: Spanish
• ISBN-10: 8432208329
• ISBN-13: 978-8432208324
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,334,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars El monje poeta o el poeta monje, December 11, 2000

By 

Eduardo J. Tellez A (Miami, Florida) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vida perdida (Tres Mundos) (Spanish Edition) (Paperback)

Este es uno de esos libros que nunca se olvidad, en el podemos encontrar las respuestas a muchas preguntas que se a formulado miles de lectores sobre el Poeta, Monje, revolucionario y teólogo de la liberación nicaragüense. Ernesto Cardenal describe en este primer tomo sus años de juventud en la vieja managua, bañado con la mística de San Juan de la Cruz y engendrado con la joven revolución sandinista de los años 60. La influencia de Tomas Merton sale a relucir y queda marcada en sus escritos desde su encuentro en la trapa de Gethsemani, redactado con el corazón el cual le ayudo a este gran poeta descubrir su peores lados, toques de humor hacen la lectura de esta obra un viaje muy placentero en la vida de un hombre muy multifacético Y poco conocida para las nueva generaciones, leer la vida de Ernesto Cardenal es mirar la historia de Nicaragua, le cuesta cambiar,cae pero se levanta y sigue teniendo fe que algún día llegara a la casa de su amado. Si eres Nicaraguense disfrutaras este libro lleno de historia y poesia, y si no conoces mucho de este poeta o de nicaragua puedes comensar con esta primera obra bigrafica del Poeta trapense de Solentiname.

5.0 out of 5 stars The early life of one of Father Thomas Merton's best known Novices in Gethsemane, June 4, 2007

By 

C. Scanlon "least helpful reviewer" (among us humans) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Vida perdida (Tres Mundos) (Spanish Edition) (Paperback)

Father Ernesto Cardenal has the gift and grace from God of being at the eye of every hurricane in our twentieth century Catholic Church and on into this brave new millenium. Here he writes the first volume of his autobiography, available here from several printing houses. THe one I have was published as part of the Los Tres Mundos series, which includes a work by Miguel Littin, and published by Editorial Seix Barral in Barcelona, in 1999. More recently, in 2003, another edition was printed by the Latin American Fund.

The title of this autobiography is drawn from Saint Luke's Gospel, chapter 9, verse 24: "Who loses his life for me, will save it." Therefore this large thick 459 page volume recounts how busily and far Father Cardenal traveled to lose his life for the Lord. Thus this book includes his early travels to Europe, to entering the Cistercian Abbey in Gethsemane while Father Thomas Merton served as Novice Master, on to ordination in Cuernavaca, and back to his homeland, Nicaragua. On the copyright page we find Father Cardenal insisted the publisher retain the Nicaraguan dialect of Spanish in which it was written. As I lived in Nicaragua twenty years ago while Father Cardenal served as Cultural Minister, and frequently met him in his small offices in the former large bathroom of the former US supported dictator's wife's palace, I welcome with relief and joy reading this good strong language once more, written so well by this great poet and priest.

I urge everyone to read the life of this great Catholic priest who truly and entirely has devoted his life in the service of our Lord and His Church, at the great and constant risk of losing this life, losing his life entirely for Our Lord in peace and compassion. As this volume discusses much about his time in Gethsemane, the reader does well to supplement this reading with the record of continuing correspondence between Fathers Merton and Cardenal as comprehensively and generously published in the collection of Father Merton's letters to writers entitled Courage For Truth: The Letters Of Thomas Merton To Writers.

Most interesting for me at this moment is reading the selections from his Novitiate notebook presented here, including such mundane issues as dealing, as a Nicaraguan, used to intense heat day and night all year round, dealing with the alien Kentucky climate, and enjoying the flora and fauna including joyful chipmunks, and feeling home in the familiar sounds of roosters and cows. Included among these notes are spiritual reflections as well, such as this which I poorly translate for you here, without the reference to Soren Kierkegaard:

"Not only must we have peace, as Father Merton told me, but also agony like the rest of the people of the world, because agony is appropriate to our times. (p.225)"

It still is even moreso now in our time of war and injustice and growing poverty and disease. Let us pray for peace.

Please read this book. Father Cardenal is a great Catholic soul who has seen great and crucial moments in our Catholic Church, including while kneeling awaiting a personal Papal blessing on the tarmac of the Managua International Airport, beaming with joy. He beams still, even through losing his life to take on all of the agony of our world's peoples.

Please read this book. Great for the beach, for chapel, for everyone everywhere anytime. Great way to improve your Spanish, as well as your soul!