SOURCE: A review of Flowers from the Volcano, in Northwest Review, Vol. 21, Nos. 2-3, 1983, pp. 175-83.

In the following review, Wright praises Alegría's poetic accomplishments as well as her commitment to political and social justice.

With this volume [Flowers from the Volcano], Salvadoran poet-in-exile Claribel Alegría is finally able to join the ranks of Ernesto Cardenal, Miguel Angel Asturias, and other politically engaged Central American writers whose work is already available in English translation, and to be added to the still-meagre list of Latin American women poets—among them Gabriela Mistral, Alfonsina Storni, and Rosario Castellanos—who have achieved recognition both in their own countries and on the international level. This bilingual selection, from Alegría's many books in Spanish published in Spain and Latin America, is that of a mature and courageous voice which will expand the North American readers' awareness not only of the...