Born in Nicaragua in 1925, is considered the greatest living poet of Latin America. From his youth he participated in the struggle against the Somoza dictatorship. At age 31 he had a religious conversion that was proceeding at a Trappist monastery in Kentucky (USA), where he was a pupil of the famous American writer and contemplative Thomas Merton. Later, his ordination council and Merton himself a contemplative community founded on an island of the archipelago of Solentiname on Lake Nicaragua; which was later destroyed by Somoza's army for their active participation in the liberation struggle of the Frente Sandinista. After the triumph of the revolution, Ernesto Cardenal became Minister of Culture of the revolutionary government.

Among his most important books, translated into many languages, are time 0 and Prayer for Marilyn Monroe and Other Poems, in addition to those published in the same Editorial: Telescope on the Dark Night (1993), new Anthology (1996), Psalms (1998 ), Cosmic Canticle (31999), Epigrams (2001), correspondence (1959-1968) with Thomas Merton (2003), Pluriverso Verses (2005), the Gospel in Solentiname (2006) and passenger traffic (2009) Life in the love (2010) and this world and another (2011), in addition to his Memoirs: Life lost (2005), The strange islands (2002) and The Lost revolution (2004).