César Andreu Iglesias (July 31, 1915 – April 17, 1976) was a Puerto Rican

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some t ...

labor organizer A union organizer (or union organiser in Commonwealth spelling) is a specific type of trade union member (often elected) or an appointed union official. A majority of unions appoint rather than elect their organizers. In some unions, the orga ...

, journalist, novelist, and

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

writer.

Early years

Andreu Iglesias was born in

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...

, on July 31, 1915.

Independentista activities

Along with

Juan Mari Brás Juan Mari Brás (December 2, 1927 – September 10, 2010) was an advocate for Puerto Rican independence from the United States who founded the Puerto Rican Socialist Party (PSP). On October 25, 2006, he became the first person to receive a P ...

, Andreu Iglesias was the founder of the

Claridad ''Claridad'' ("Clarity") is a Spanish-language weekly newspaper based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was founded in June 1959. The paper served as the official publication of the Puerto Rican independence movement and later the Puerto Rican Socia ...

news weekly. He also served as president of the

Puerto Rican Communist Party The Puerto Rican Communist Party (in Spanish: ''Partido Comunista Puertorriqueño,'' PCP) was a communist party in Puerto Rico founded on 23 September 1934 following the sugar strikes on the island that same year. Relevant members include Genera ...

, and the recipient of the 1960 Award for Excellence in Journalism from the Puerto Rican Institute of Literature. "Andreu was at the very forefront of socialist and independentista movements in Puerto Rico. He was a tireless organizer, a creative editor, and a speaker on the history of the labor movement in Puerto Rico."

Political activism

Andreu Iglesias was constantly preoccupied, as a writer and journalist as well as through his civil acts, with the issue of social injustice. He was a man of firm political convictions which brought him to found, with Mari Bras, the weekly

. While less known for his theatrical plays, Andreu Iglesias also brought his political views and literary interest to theater in Puerto Rico. His theatrical production ''El inciso hache'' received an award from the

Puerto Rican Athenaeum Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...

Personal life and death

Andreu Iglesias married Jane Speed, a bookseller. Andreu Iglesias died in San Juan on April 17, 1976. Was buried at the Puerto Rico Memorial Cemetery in

Carolina, Puerto Rico Carolina (; ) is a city and municipality located on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. It lies immediately east of the capital San Juan and Trujillo Alto; north of Gurabo and Juncos; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread ove ...

Books by Andreu Iglesias

The following are books written by Andreu Iglesias: * Los derrotados (English translation, The Vanquished, by Sidney Mintz, 1956) * The Vanquished (a novel, 1956) * Una gota de tiempo (1948) * El derrumbe (1960)

Honors

Andreu Iglesias was one of Ponce's most accomplished journalists. He is honored at Ponce's Park of Illustrious Ponce Citizens for his contributions to that field.''Journalism.''
TravelPonce. Retrieved June 18, 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andreu Iglesias, Cesar 1915 births 1976 deaths Writers from Ponce Journalists from Ponce Puerto Rican novelists Puerto Rican male writers Puerto Rican independence activists 20th-century American novelists American male novelists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers