Manuel Zeno Gandía
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Manuel Zeno Gandía (January 10, 1855 – January 30, 1930) was a Puerto Rican physician, poet, novelist, journalist and politician. He is best known as the author of ''La Charca'' (The Pond), a
novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...
considered by many to be the first Puerto Rican novel.


Early years

Zeno Gandía was born in
Arecibo, Puerto Rico Arecibo (; ) is a city and municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta and Florida. It is about west of San Juan, the ca ...
, to wealthy land-owning parents. After receiving his primary and secondary education in his hometown, he went to Spain where he studied medicine 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 i ...
's school of medicine. He graduated with the titles of Doctor in
Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...
and
Surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...
. He developed his love for political
literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...
during his stay in Spain. His interest in
politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
led him to become an outspoken advocate for Puerto Rican independence. La Charca
/ref>
Eduardo Neumann Gandia Eduardo is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the male given name Edward. Another version is Duarte. It may refer to: Association football * Eduardo Bonvallet, Chilean football player and sports commentator * Eduardo Carvalho, Portuguese footbal ...
was his cousin.


Physician, poet and novelist

When Zeno Gandía returned to Puerto Rico, he set up his medical practice in the city of Ponce. While in Ponce, Zeno Gandia was
medical director A medical director is a physician who provides guidance and leadership on the use of medicine in a healthcare organization. These include the emergency medical services, hospital departments, blood banks, clinical teaching services and others. A m ...
at the Port of Ponce "in the years up to 1895". It was during this time that Zeno Gandia wrote ''La Charca.'' In 1894, he published ''La Charca'' (The Pond), the first Puerto Rican novel of significance. The novel's plot deals with the harsh life in the remote and mountainous
coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...
regions in Puerto Rico. This naturalist novel speaks of the injustices the poor farm worker suffered at the hands of rich landowners. ''La Charca'' is a Puerto Rican classic and is one of four novels in ''Las Crónicas de un Mundo enfermo'' (Chronicles of a Sick World). The other three are ''Garduña'', ''El Negocio'' (The Business) and ''Redentores'' (The Redeemers). These novels were also written while Zeno Gandia was a physician in
Barrio Playa Barrio Playa, also known as Playa de Ponce, Ponce Playa, or La Playa, is one of the thirty-one barrios that comprise the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Bucaná, Canas, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Playa is one of the municipality's ...
, Ponce. ''El Negocio'' was published in 1922. In the 1960s, Zeno Gandía's best-known novel, ''La Charca'' was translated to English by Kal Wagenheim. In English, it remains in print as ''The Pond'', and is published by Markus Wiener Publishers of
Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of w ...
. Zeno Gandia had published many poems prior to writing ''La Charca.'' Among these poems were ''La Señora Duquesa'' and ''Abismo.''


Journalist

While in Ponce, Zeno Gandia was already politically active and, as many others during this time in Puerto Rico, he used the press to publish his political ideas. With Amy Braschi, he founded in Ponce the paper ''El Estudio'' in 1896. Around 1900, he also founded ''La Opinion'' and led it as its editor. In 1902, he then bought ''La Correspondencia'' and directed it until 1914. To keep up with his growing journalism business, he imported Puerto Rico's first monotype press and its first
Rotary printing press A rotary printing press is a printing press in which the images to be printed are curved around a cylinder. Printing can be done on various substrates, including paper, cardboard, and plastic. Substrates can be sheet feed or unwound on a continuo ...
.


Politician and independence advocate

Zeno Gandia was the first Puerto Rican to propose the creation of an independence party for Puerto Rico. After Puerto Rico was invaded by American forces during 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 = (clock ...
in 1898, Zeno Gandía traveled to Washington, D.C. where, together with
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 ...
, he proposed the idea of independence for Puerto Rico. The men were disappointed when their ideas were rejected by the government of the United States and the island was converted into a
territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...
. Zeno Gandía returned to the island where he continued to write and was politically active. As a member of the Puerto Rico Union Party, he also advocated allowing voters to choose among non-colonial options, including annexation, an independent protectorate and autonomy. Under the American Government installed in Puerto Rico, Zeno Gandia was a member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives in 1900 and in 1907. In 1912, Zeno Gandía joined the Independence Party, a new political party founded by
Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón (April 22, 1855 – December 13, 1913) was a Puerto Rican lawyer and politician, a member of the Puerto Rican House of Representatives, and a lifelong political contrarian. He favored Puerto Rican autonomy when Puerto Ric ...
which promoted Puerto Rico's independence. That same year, Zeno Gandía together with Matienzo Cintrón and
Luis Lloréns Torres Luis Llorens Torres (May 14, 1876 – June 16, 1944), was a Puerto Rican poet, playwright, and politician. He was an advocate for the independence of Puerto Rico. Early years Llorens Torres was born in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico. His parents ...
wrote a manifesto which stated that it was time for Puerto Rico to have its independence. Their Independence Party, which also included Eugenio Benítez Castaño and Pedro Franceschi as founding members, was the first party in Puerto Rico's history to plead for Puerto Rico's independence and it established a precedent for future organizations with similar ideologies.Chronology of Puerto Rico in the Spanish–American War
/ref>


Legacy

Zeno Gandía died in
Santurce, Puerto Rico Santurce (, from the Basque ''Santurtzi'' which means Saint George) is a barrio or district in the municipality of San Juan. Its population in 2020 was 69,469. It is also the biggest and most populated of all the barrios in the capital city wit ...
, in 1930. He was buried at the Puerto Rico Memorial 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 over ...
. Manuel Zeno Gandía memory was honored by naming a school and avenues after him. In his native Arecibo, the credit cooperative and an industrial park are named after Zeno Gandía. An statue of him was unveiled on 27 March 2007, by Senate President
Kenneth McClintock Kenneth Davison McClintock-Hernández (born January 19, 1957) is a politician who served as the twenty-second Secretary of State of Puerto Rico, one of the four longest serving in that post. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s Na ...
on the grounds of Puerto Rico's Capitol, to honor Zeno Gandía, with Zeno Gandia's grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren in attendance. Zeno Gandia is recognized at Ponce's Tricentennial Park for his contributions in the field of literature.''Literature.''
Travel Ponce. Retrieved 17 June 2012.


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 ...
* 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


La Charca
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeno Gandia, Manuel 1855 births 1930 deaths People from Arecibo, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican novelists Puerto Rican male writers 20th-century Puerto Rican politicians Puerto Rican nationalists Puerto Rican independence activists 20th-century Puerto Rican writers 19th-century Puerto Rican writers