Country Between Us

In the late 1970s, Carolyn Forché traveled to El Salvador to witness the country's civil war. She documented killings and other brutal human rights abuses and found in her poetry the only way to come to terms with what she was experiencing. Archbishop Oscar Romero urged her to return home and convince the American people to stop the military aid, but he was assassinated a week later. Forché's book, The Country Between Us, was published in 1981 and won the Poetry Society of America's Alice Fay di Castagnola Award and the Lamont Poetry Selection of the Academy of American Poets.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 64 pages
Publication date: 28 March 2019
Publisher: Bloodaxe Books Ltd

Carolyn Forché's powerful and deeply personal work, The Country Between Us, offers a poignant glimpse into the events of the late 1970s in El Salvador, a country torn apart by civil war. Through her poetry, Forché bears witness to the brutal killings and other human rights abuses that she encountered during her travels in the country. Working alongside Archbishop Oscar Romero's church group, Forché found solace and a means of processing her experiences through her art.

By 1980, the conflict in El Salvador had reached a dangerous level, and Archbishop Romero urged Forché to return home and raise awareness about the situation. He believed that her poetry had the power to persuade the American people to stop supporting the military aid that was exacerbating the violence. Tragically, Archbishop Romero was assassinated just a week later, a loss that deeply impacted Forché.

Back in the United States, Forché continued to speak out against US-backed oppression in Central America. However, her second collection of poems, which delved into themes of torture, murder, injustice, and trauma, met with discomfort from publishers and critics. The book, which was published in 1981, coincided with the growing public awareness of the conflict in El Salvador. Despite the challenges, The Country Between Us quickly gained recognition and sold tens of thousands of copies in the United States.

In the years since its publication, Forché's work has continued to resonate with readers worldwide. Her memoir, What You Have Heard Is True: A Memoir of Witness and Resistance, published in 2018, provides a deeper insight into her experiences in El Salvador. It was followed by a new collection, In the Lateness of the World, in 2020, which further explores the themes of witness and resistance.

The Country Between Us has received numerous accolades, including the Poetry Society of America's Alice Fay di Castagnola Award and the Lamont Poetry Selection of the Academy of American Poets. Forché's poetry has the ability to transcend boundaries and touch the hearts of her readers, allowing them to empathize with the struggles of those caught in the midst of conflict. Through her art, she has played a crucial role in raising awareness about the human rights abuses that took place in El Salvador and beyond.

Weight: 110g
Dimension: 140 x 216 x 7 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781780373744
Edition number: 2 New edition