Alfredo Cardona Peña (1917-1995) was a celebrated poet, narrator, essayist, journalist, and science fiction writer. He is considered one of the greatest Latin American authors of the 20th century.

Born in San José, Costa Rica, Peña lived in Mexico from 1939 until his death in 1995. His literary, journalistic, and educational work was carried out mainly in Mexico City, where he began publishing short stories with a distinct style of humor and sharp irony. In 1945, he became a teacher of Spanish Language Literature at the National University of Mexico and, from 1969-1980, was the Editor-in-Chief of the comics section for Novaro Publishing House. His awards include the National Poetry Award in 1962, the Central American Poetry Award in Guatemala in 1948, the National Prize for Poetry in Costa Rica in 1961, and the Magón Culture Award in 1985—the highest honor given in Costa Rica for lifetime achievement—among others.

In 2018, New Village Press published an English translation of Cardona Peña’s Conversations with Diego Rivera: The Monster in His Labyrinth. Translated by his half-brother Alvaro Cardona-Hine, Conversations with Diego Rivera is built from a year of weekly interviews (1949-1950) with artist Diego Rivera. The book has also been adapted by Teatro Dallas, a non-profit theater focusing on international and Latinx experiences. The Monster in His Labyrinth is directed by Cora Cordona and premiered in 2020.