Juan Gelman, an Argentine poet who challenged the petty and profound tyrannies of his country’s military junta, died Tuesday at his home in Mexico City. He was 83, The New York Times reports.

“Mr. Gelman, the author of more than 20 books, was revered in Spain and Latin America, especially for his work in opposition to the durable far-right strain of governance in Argentina. His subjects included oppression and injustice (his ire often expressed with philosophical and linguistic vigor rather than visceral punch); the power and impotence of language; the eternalness of art, and poetry itself.” Read more here.