Petronila “Nilita” Vientos Gastón (June 5, 1903 – July 10, 1989) was an educator, writer, journalist and the first female lawyer to work for the

Puerto Rico Department of Justice The Puerto Rico Department of Justice (PR DOJ) is the Executive Department of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico responsible for the enforcement of the local law in the commonwealth and the administration of justice. The Department is equivalent ...

Early years

Vientós Gastón was born in

San Sebastián San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...

, Puerto Rico, a town located on the western region of Puerto Rico. Her parents moved to

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

when she was only a child, where she received her primary education. After living in

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 ...

for various years, they moved to New York City, where she received her secondary education. In 1923, Vientós Gastón returned to Puerto Rico.El Nuevo Día
El Nuevo Día

Academic education

She entered the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...

where she studied law and earned her degree. In 1945, while she was a student, she founded and directed the magazine ''Asomante''. She was granted a scholarship from the Rockefeller Foundation and studied literature at Kenyon College at

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and ...

Professional career

When Vientós Gastón returned to Puerto Rico, she was hired by her alma mater to teach literature. She was also hired by the Department of Justice of Puerto Rico, becoming the first woman hold this position.Nilita Vientós Gastón
/ref> She worked as an auxiliary prosecutor general for three decades. Vientós Gastón defended the use of the Spanish language in the courts of Puerto Rico, before the Supreme Court, and won. Vientós Gastón was a founding member of the Puerto Rican Academy of the Spanish Language. In 1946, Vientós Gastón became the first woman president of the Puerto Rican Athenaeum, a position which she held until 1961. She was also the first president of the PEN Club of Puerto Rico.

Author

Vientós Gastón had a column in the newspaper "El Mundo". In 1956, she published ''Introducción a Henry James''" (Introduction to

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

) and in 1957 ''Impresiones de un Viaje'' (Impressions of a trip). For many years she was editor of the literary journal "Asomante". In 1970, she founded the journal ''Sin Nombre'' (Without a Name). She was also the author of ''Apuntes Sobre Teatro''.

Later years

In 1996, the Association of Graduates of the University of Puerto Rico, dedicated the 50th anniversary issue of ''Asomante'' to Vientós Gastón and to the memory of

Margot Arce de Vázquez Dr. Margot Arce de Vázquez (March 10, 1904 – November 14, 1990) was a writer, essayist and educator who founded the Puerto Rican Academy of the Spanish Language. Early years Arce de Vázquez was born and raised in Caguas, Puerto Rico, where ...

. Vientós Gastón died on July 10, 1989 in Santurce, Puerto Rico. She was buried at

Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery __NOTOC__ The Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery is a colonial-era cemetery located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the final resting place of many of Puerto Rico's most prominent natives and residents. Construction began in 1863 under ...

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

Legacy

The Nilita Vientós Gastón Foundation was founded in 1995 and Vientós Gastón's house was converted into a museum-library. The Foundation together with the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture manages her publications and documents. The Puerto Rican Bar Association annually present the Nilita Vientós Gastón Medal to the person whose principles exemplifies that of Vientós Gastón's. The Bar Association also honored her memory by naming a Hall after her.Nilita Vientós Gastón Foundation
/ref> Giannina Braschi dedicated

United States of Banana ''United States of Banana'' (2011) is a postmodern allegorical novel by the Puerto Rican author Giannina Braschi. It is a cross-genre work that blends experimental theatre, prose poetry, short story, and political philosophy with a manifesto on ...

to Nilita Vientós Gastón.

References

External links

Fundación Nilita Vientós GastónEl Nuevo Día
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vientos Gaston, Nilita 1903 births 1989 deaths Burials at Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery People from San Sebastián, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican educators Puerto Rican journalists Puerto Rican people of French descent Kenyon College alumni Rockefeller Fellows 20th-century Puerto Rican educators 20th-century journalists