The Cervantes Prize winner, who lives in exile in Spain after having been stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship for criticizing the government, is in Panama to chair the Centroamerica Cuenta literary festival.The author of "Margarita, esta linda la mar" (Margarita, How Beautiful the Sea), "Castigo Divino" (Divine Punishment), and "Tongolele no sabia bailar" (Tongolele Did Not Know How to Dance) also faces criticism in Nicaragua over his nomination for a seat on the Royal Spanish Academy due to his position as Daniel Ortega's vice president between 1985 and 1990.Q: In "Tongolele no sabia bailar," it says that fear rules. What role does literature play in a Central America where authoritarian governments are re-emerging?A: I don't think that authoritarian leaders in Central America care about novels, except when they feel that one is aimed at them. In such cases, they order a crackdown on the book, more out of personal revenge... than because they think it will destabilize them. A novel is not capable of creating a collective consciousness.Q: Can a novel be used as a weapon?A: I wouldn't be so bold as to think that a novel could change a country's reality, but it can change a reader, and I think that's very important -- that a reader learns to see reality in a different light through a fictional work.Q: Does the reality of Central America shape its writers? A: No matter how much one learns to write a love story, one will always come up against reality -- not just that of political power, but also of the other arbitrary powers that exist in Central America. The power of organized crime, corruption, and drug trafficking -- these things alter a person's story, change their relationship with society and instill fear.Q: Is there a distinct Central American literature? A: It is the same literature with different nuances in language, structure and themes. Central American literature, after all, is political -- not in an ideological sense, much less in a partisan one, but rather because of the abnormal reality of Central America's political structures. Q: What does your nomination for a seat on the Royal Spanish Academy mean for Central American literature?A: It is the culmination of a literary career dedicated to language. The fact that I have been invited to join such an important cultural institution and that I was born in Central America is a significant step for Central American literature.Q: But you have also faced criticism?A: I don’t pay much attention to them (critics)... They are part of a very small minority faction within Nicaragua that wants to give this nomination a political slant it does not have. What the academic community values is my heritage, my cultural background, and whether or not I contribute to the language.