Rubén Darío was a Nicaraguan poet of the second half of the nineteenth century, known as the "father of modernism". Morrow (languages and literature, Eastern New Mexico University) examines Darío's work in terms of the native South American influences. The study is prefaced by a long study by Luis Alberto Vittor on the importance of recognizing the indigenous aspects in Darío's poems. Morrow gives a contextual overview of the life of the poet before focusing on the poems. He demonstrates how Darío was affected by native themes but also how the lyricism of indigenous languages is reflected in the poems. The blending of cultures, each given equal value, is an important subtext to this study. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)