Camila Henríquez Ureña (April 9, 1894 in

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional) , websi ...

– September 12, 1973 in Santo Domingo), was a writer, essayist, educator and literary critic from the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

who became a naturalized

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

n citizen. She descended from a family of writers, thinkers and educators; both her parents, Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal and

Salomé Ureña Salomé Ureña Díaz de Henríquez (October 21, 1850 - March 6, 1897) was a Dominican poet and teacher, being one of the central figures of 19th-century lyrical poetry and advocator for women’s education in the Dominican Republic, influenced by ...

, as well as her brothers

Pedro Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...

and Max, were literary luminaries. Her essays have been published in ''Instrucción Pública'', ''Ultra'', ''Archipiélago'' (founded by her brother, Max), ''

Casa de las Américas Casa de las Américas is an organization that was founded by the Cuban Government in April 1959, four months after the Cuban Revolution, for the purpose of developing and extending the socio-cultural relations with the countries of Latin America, ...

'', '' La Gaceta de Cuba'', ''Revista de la Biblioteca Nacional'', ''Revista de la Universidad de La Habana'', and ''Revista Lyceum''. A feminist and a

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

, she lectured during much of her career, advocating intellectual study for women.

Early life and family

Henríquez was born in Santo Domingo in 1894. She was the fourth child and only daughter of prominent intellectuals, the former Dominican President, Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal, and the poet and educator,

. Her mother died in 1898 when Henríquez was four; her brother, Pedro, served as a mentor and instilled in his sister the legacy of their mother. She had two other brothers, Francisco and Max. Her father, Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal, was also a former President of the Dominican Republic. In 1904, Henríquez moved with her father and stepmother, Natividad Lauranson, to Cuba. She attended the elementary school, Model School in

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

, and received her bachelor's degree from the Instituto de Segunda Enseñanza de La Habana. She received her Ph.D. in Philosophy and Letters from the

University of Havana The University of Havana or (UH, ''Universidad de La Habana'') is a university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of the Republic of Cuba. Founded on January 5, 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the first ...

(1917) with the thesis, "Francisco de Rioja: su verdadera significación en la lírica española" ("Francisco de Rioja: his true significance in Spanish lyric poetry"). At the same university, she became a Doctor in Pedagogy; her dissertation, "The pedagogical ideas of

Eugenio María de Hostos Eugenio María de Hostos (January 11, 1839 – August 11, 1903), known as "''El Gran Ciudadano de las Américas''" ("The Great Citizen of the Americas"), was a Puerto Rican educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist, novelist, an ...

", centered on the Puerto Rican educator who was a mentor to Henríquez's mother. Henríquez studied and worked at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

from 1918 to 1921, obtaining a Masters of Arts in 1920. In 1922, she returned to Cuba, becoming a Cuban citizen four years later. In the mid 1920s, she was a professor at Academia Herbart, as well as the Escuela Normal de Maestros and at the Instituto de Matanzas.

Career

Henríquez continued her studies from 1932 to 1934 at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

. In 1930s Cuba, she participated in the events of various feminist organizations and cultural institutions. At Havana's

Lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Generally in that type of school the th ...

, she served as its president, and director of its magazine. She was the vice-president of the Unión Nacional de Mujeres (Women's National Union) (1936), and a collaborator at the Institución Hispana-Cubana de Cultura. Henríquez led the organization efforts of Cuba's Third National Congress of Women, held in 1939, and in the same year, was the opening speaker at Havana's First National Feminine Congress. In 1941, she lectured in Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Mexico, and served as a delegate to the Conference General Federation of University Women. From 1942 through 1959, Henríquez lived in the United States, teaching at

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

, and

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Centre College Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is ...

. During her 1948 sabbatical year, Henríquez traveled to Mexico where she was an editor at

Fondo de Cultura Económica Fondo de Cultura Económica (FCE or simply "Fondo") is a Spanish language, non-profit publishing group, partly funded by the Mexican government. It is based in Mexico but it has subsidiaries throughout the Spanish-speaking world. It was founded in ...

, while through the 1950s, she traveled to Spain, Italy, and France. Believing in the ideals of the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which placed Fulgencio Batista as head of state and the failed mass strike in opposition that followed. After failing to contest Batista in cou ...

, Henríquez returned to Cuba in 1959. She served as technical adviser to the Ministry of Education (1960-1962), and participated in the restructuring of the University of Havana, where she taught until her retirement in 1970. Before her death in 1973, she had affiliated with the Cuban Pen Club (vice-president), and the National Cuban Commission of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

(member).

Selected works

* ''"Ideas pedagógicas de Eugenio María de Hostos"'' (1932) * ''"Curso de apreciación literaria"'' (1935) * ''"La Poesía en Cuba en 1936"'' (anthology with Juan Ramón Jiménez and José María Chacón y Calvo (1936) * ''"Feminismo"'' (1939) * ''"La mujer y la cultura"'' (1949) * ''"La carta como forma de expresión literaria femenina"'' (1951) * ''"Cervantes"'' (1963) * ''"El Renacimiento español"'' (1963) * ''"Cantares de gesta"'' (1971) * ''"William Shakespeare"'' (1972) * ''"Dante Alighieri"'' (1974; posthumous publication)

References