Luis Llorens Torres (May 14, 1876 – June 16, 1944), was a
Puerto Rican poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...
,
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
, and
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
. He was an advocate for the
independence of Puerto Rico.
Early years
Llorens Torres was born in
Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico
Juana is a Spanish female first name. It is the feminine form of Juan (English John), and thus corresponds to the English names Jane, Janet, Jean, Joan, and Joanna. Juanita is a common variant. The name Juana may refer to:
People
*Juana ...
. His parents, Luis Aurelio del Carmen Llorens and Marcelina Soledad de Torres, were the wealthy owners of a coffee plantation. In
Collores (a
barrio
''Barrio'' () is a Spanish word that means " quarter" or " neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residential, commercial, industrial, etc.), social, a ...
of Juana Diaz), Llorens Torres was always in contact with nature, which accounts for the love that he felt for nature and country. He always stated that he was proud to come from Collores barrio.
His poem made the barrio one of the most well-known of the island of Puerto Rico.
His
Catalan grandfather, Josep de Llorens i Robles, immigrated from
Figueres
Figueres (, ; , es, Figueras, ) is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Alt Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí, and houses the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí, a large museu ...
,
province of Girona
Girona (; es, Gerona ; french: Gérone) is a province of Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered on the northwest by the province of Lleida, on the southwest by the province of Barcelona, on the ...
, Spain.
Llorens Torres went to school in
Mayagüez and
Maricao. He went to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
after he finished his secondary studies on the island and studied at the
University of Barcelona
The University of Barcelona ( ca, Universitat de Barcelona, UB; ; es, link=no, Universidad de Barcelona) is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, in Spain. With 63,000 students, it is one of the biggest universities ...
where he began his studies. He then proceeded to study Philosophy and Letters at the
University of Granada
The University of Granada ( es, Universidad de Granada, UGR) is a public university located in the city of Granada, Spain, and founded in 1531 by Emperor Charles V. With more than 60,000 students, it is the fourth largest university in Spain. Apar ...
where he obtained both a Doctorate degree and a law degree. In Spain he published his first book of poetic verses "Al Pie de la Alhambra", which was dedicated to the woman who would eventually become his wife, Carmen Rivero.
Political career
Llorens Torres returned to Puerto Rico in 1901, married, and moved to
Ponce where he established his own law firm (
Nemesio Canales later joined his firm) and collaborated with the newspaper ''Lienzos del Solar''. During this time he wrote some of his best works.
He also met numerous poets like Julia de Burgos.
When Llorens Torres returned to Puerto Rico he found a political situation completely different than from the one that he had left. Puerto Rico had been invaded by the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
during the
Puerto Rico Campaign of the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clo ...
in 1898. This motivated Llorens Torres to join the political
Union Party of Puerto Rico. The ideal of independence for the island. He transmitted his beliefs to the public through his poem "El Patito Feo" (The Ugly Duckling). He became a member of the Puerto Rican legislature and was named to the Camara of Delegates from 1908 to 1910 representing the municipality of Ponce. On February 8, 1912, together with
Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón and
Manuel Zeno Gandía, he wrote a manifesto which stated that it was time for Puerto Rico to have its independence. That year Llorens Torres, Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón, Manuel Zeno Gandía,
Eugenio Benítez Castaño, and
Pedro Franceschi founded the Independence party which was the first party in the history of the island to exclusively want
Puerto Rican independence
Throughout the history of Puerto Rico, its inhabitants have initiated several movements to obtain independence for the island, first from the Spanish Empire from 1493 to 1898 and since then from the United States.
A spectrum of pro-autonomy, p ...
. Eugenio Benítez Castaño was named president of the short lived political party. In 1913, Llorens Torres co-founded with Nemesio Canales ''La Revista de Las Antillas'', a literary publication.
"El Grito de Lares"
Llorens Torres' book, "
El Grito de Lares", deals with the attempted overthrow of the
Spanish government on the island with the intention of establishing the island as a
sovereign
''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'.
The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...
republic
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
. In the book he describes the revolutionary flag created by
Mariana Bracetti. The flag was divided in the middle by a white Latin cross, the two lower corners were red and the two upper corners were blue. A white star was placed in the upper left blue corner.
[The Women from Puerto Rico]
''Mariana Bracetti''
According to Llorens Torres the white cross on the
Revolutionary Flag of Lares stands for the yearning for homeland redemption; the red squares, the blood poured by the heroes of the rebellion and the white star in the blue solitude square, stands for liberty and freedom.
Works
Among his works are décimas and poems:
* , 1899 poem
* , newspaper founded in 1913
* , magazine
* , magazine
* , (Collores) 1940
décima
A décima is a ten-line stanza of poetry. The most popular form is called décima espinela after Vicente Espinel (1550–1624), a Spanish writer, poet, and musician from the Siglo de Oro who used it extensively throughout his compositions.
The d� ...
/ poem
* , (Song of the Antilles) 1913 poem
* , 1914 book
* Distant Song, 1926 poem
* , (Creole Life), 1935 poem
Death
Llorens Torres died in
Santurce, a
barrio
''Barrio'' () is a Spanish word that means " quarter" or " neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residential, commercial, industrial, etc.), social, a ...
of San Juan, Puerto Rico. He defended the ideal of Puerto Rican independence until the day he died and 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 ov ...
.
Legacy
The Government of Puerto Rico has honored the memory of Luis Llorens Torres by naming a public housing project (
Residencial Luis Lloréns Torres) in Santurce after him. Among the other things that were named after him are an avenue in San Juan, a high school in Juana Diaz, and a children's academy in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. There is a bust of him in front of the high school named after him and there is a statue of Luis Llorens Torres, sculpted by the Puerto Rican sculptor
Tomás Batista, in the "Plazita Famosa" of Juana Diaz.
See also
*
List of Puerto Rican writers
This is a list of Puerto Rican literary figures, including poets, novelists, short story authors, and playwrights. It includes people who were born in Puerto Rico, people who are of Puerto Rican ancestry, and long-term residents or immigrants w ...
*
List of Puerto Ricans
*
Puerto Rican literature
Puerto Rican literature is the body of literature produced by writers of Puerto Rican descent. It evolved from the art of oral storytelling. Written works by the indigenous inhabitants of Puerto Rico were originally prohibited and repressed by th ...
References
External links
Biografias y Vidas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Llorens Torres, Luis
1876 births
1944 deaths
University of Barcelona alumni
University of Granada alumni
Puerto Rican journalists
Puerto Rican dramatists and playwrights
Puerto Rican poets
Puerto Rican male writers
Puerto Rican nationalists
Puerto Rican people of Catalan descent
Politicians from Ponce
People from Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican independence activists
American male non-fiction writers