Puerto Rican literature is the body of literature produced by writers of Puerto Rican descent. It evolved from the art of

oral storytelling Oral storytelling is an ancient and intimate tradition between the storyteller and their audience. The storyteller and the listeners are physically close, often seated together in a circular fashion. The intimacy and connection is deepened by ...

. Written works by the indigenous inhabitants of

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

were originally prohibited and repressed by the Spanish colonial government. It was not until the late 19th century, with the arrival of the first printing press and the founding of the Royal Academy of Belles Letters, that Puerto Rican literature began to flourish. The first writers to express their political views in regard to Spanish colonial rule of the island were journalists. After the United States invaded Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War and the island was ceded to the United States as a condition of the Treaty of Paris of 1898, writers and poets began to express their opposition of the new colonial rule by writing about patriotic themes. With the Puerto Rican diaspora of the early and mid-20th century, and the subsequent rise of the Nuyorican Movement, Puerto Rican literature continued to evolve and many Puerto Ricans have distinguished themselves as authors, poets, novelists, playwrights, and essayists.

Early history

The development of Puerto Rican literature was hampered by the Spanish colonial government, which ruled over Puerto Rico since the early 1500s. The Spanish feared that, through literature, Puerto Rico would develop its own social and cultural identity and eventually seek independence. Written works by the indigenous inhabitants were prohibited and punishable by prison or banishment. Even though the first library in Puerto Rico was established in 1642, in the Convent of San Francisco, access to its books was limited to those who belonged to the religious order. The only people who had access to the libraries and who could afford books were either appointed Spanish government officials or wealthy land owners. The poor had to resort to oral story-telling in what are traditionally known in Puerto Rico as ''Coplas and Decimas.''

The island's first writers were commissioned by the Spanish Crown to document the chronological history of the island. Among these writers were Father

Diego de Torres Vargas Diego de Torres Vargas (1615–1670) was a Puerto Rican Catholic priest, and the first person to write a book about the history of Puerto Rico. Early years Torres Vargas was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to a prosperous family. His father, ...

, who wrote about the history of Puerto Rico, Father Francisco Ayerra de Santa María, who wrote poems about religious and historical themes, and Juan Ponce de León II, who was commissioned to write a general description of the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

. The first native-born Puerto Rican governor, Ponce de León II, wrote about

Taíno The Taíno were a historic Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the ...

culture, particularly their religious ceremonies and language. He also documented the early exploits of the

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, ...

s. These works were sent to the National Archives in Sevilla, Spain, where they were kept. Puerto Rican literary history changed with the arrival of the first

printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the ...

from Mexico, in 1806. That same year Juan Rodríguez Calderón (a Spaniard) wrote and published the first book in the island, titled ''Ocios de la Juventud.'' In 1851, the Spanish appointed governor of Puerto Rico, Juan de la Pezuela Cevallo, founded the Royal Academy of Belles Letters. This institution contributed greatly to the intellectual and literary progress of the island. The school licensed primary school teachers, formulated school methods, and held literary contests. However, only those with government positions and the wealthy benefited from the formation of the institution. The first Puerto Rican writers came from some of the island's wealthiest families, and they were critical of the injustices of the Spanish Crown.

19th century

In 1806, the Spanish Colonial Government established "La Gaceta de Puerto Rico" (''The Puerto Rico Gazette''), Puerto Rico's first newspaper. The newspaper was biased in favor of the ideals of the government. The first written works in Puerto Rico were influenced by the

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

of the time. Journalists were the first writers to express their political views in the newspapers of the day and later in books. Through their books and novels, they illuminated social injustices, which included slavery and poverty. Many of these writers were considered to be dangerous liberals by the colonial government and were banished from the island. An example of this treatment was poet and journalist Francisco Gonzalo Marín, who wrote against the Spanish Crown. Some went to 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 with ...

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 Caribb ...

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 ...

where they continued to write about patriotic themes while in exile. The literature of these writers helped fuel the desire of some to revolt against the Spanish government in Puerto Rico, resulting in the failed attempt known as the Grito de Lares in 1868. The period between 1868 and 1898 was crucial to the development of Puerto Rican institutions and the birth of a national arts and culture: there was a pro-independence rebellion, colonial reform, the formation of national political parties, the abolition of slavery (in 1873), and a brief period of autonomy. These events coincide with the promotion of a national culture expressed through literary language, music, architecture, and other arts. When the United States invaded Puerto Rico 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, many members of the Puerto Rican literary class welcomed them, believing that eventually Puerto Rico would be granted independence. Instead, the island was declared a territory of the United States. Many writers and poets expressed their opposition by writing about patriotic themes through their work.

Twentieth-century migration to the United States

Nuyorican Poets Cafe in Loisaida section of New York City

During the early part of the 20th century, many Puerto Ricans moved to the eastern coast and mid-western parts of the United States in search of a better way of life. Most settled in cities such as New York and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

. There they faced ethnic and racial discrimination and other hardships. Jesús Colón, known as the father of the Nuyorican Movement, was discriminated against because he was

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

and had difficulty speaking English. He wrote about his experiences, as well as the experiences of other immigrants, becoming among the first Puerto Ricans to do so in English. One of his works, ''A Puerto Rican in New York'', preceded the literary movement known as the "Nuyorican Movement". Ultimately, the Nuyorican Movement significantly influenced Puerto Rican literature, spurring themes such as cultural identity and discrimination. The goal of the Nuyorican Movement is to maintain the cultural identity of the Puerto Rican people in a foreign land. This circle of intellectuals, writers, poets and playwrights express their experiences as Nuyoricans living in the United States, including those whose works eventually found mainstream audiences and scholarly attention: Nicholasa Mohr (''El Bronx''),

Piri Thomas Piri Thomas (born Juan Pedro Tomas; September 30, 1928 – October 17, 2011) was a Puerto Rican- Cuban writer and poet whose memoir ''Down These Mean Streets'' became a best-seller. Early years Thomas was born to a Puerto Rican mother and Cuba ...

('' Down These Mean Streets''),

Pedro Pietri Pedro Pietri (March 21, 1944 – March 3, 2004) was a Nuyorican poet and playwright and one of the co-founders of the Nuyorican Movement. He was considered by some as the poet laureate of the Nuyorican Movement. Early years Pietri was born i ...

(''The Masses are Asses''), Giannina Braschi ('' Yo-Yo Boing!''), Esmeralda Santiago (''When I Was Puerto Rican''), and others.

Foundational fiction

Prominent 19th century Puerto Rican authors include

Manuel A. Alonso Dr. Manuel Antonio Alonso Pacheco (October 6, 1822 – November 4, 1889) was a Puerto Rican writer, poet, journalist and physician. He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican writer of notable importance. Early years Alonso was born in Sa ...

, author of '' El Gíbaro (1849)'', a collection of verses whose main themes were the poor Puerto Rican country farmer.

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 ...

wrote ''La peregrinación de Bayoán'' (1863), which used

Bartolomé de las Casas Bartolomé de las Casas, OP ( ; ; 11 November 1484 – 18 July 1566) was a 16th-century Spanish landowner, friar, priest, and bishop, famed as a historian and social reformer. He arrived in Hispaniola as a layman then became a Dominican friar ...

as a spring board to reflect on Caribbean identity. After this first novel, Hostos abandoned fiction in favor of the essay which he saw as offering greater possibilities for inspiring social change.

Alejandro Tapia y Rivera Alejandro is the Spanish form of the name Alexander. Alejandro has multiple variations in different languages, including Aleksander (Czech, Polish), Alexandre ( French), Alexandros (Greek), Alsander ( Irish), Alessandro (Italian), Aleksandr (R ...

ushered in a new age of

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians h ...

with the publication of ''The Historical Library of Puerto Rico''. Cayetano Coll y Toste published a historical work that illuminated Taínos culture in ''The Indo-Antillano Vocabulary'' is valuable. Manuel Zeno Gandía (1894) wrote ''La Charca'' about the mountainous coffee regions in Puerto Rico. Antonio S. Pedreira, described in his work ''Insularismo'' the cultural survival of the Puerto Rican identity after the U.S. invasion. A trend in Puerto Rican fiction to narrate urban stories and novels about migration and displacement is jettisoned by Puerto Rican authors who themselves migrate to New York City, including

Edgardo Vega Yunqué Edgardo Vega Yunqué (May 20, 1936August 26, 2008) was a Puerto Rican novelist and short story writer, who also used the Americanized pen name Ed Vega. Early years Edgardo Vega Yunqué was born in Ponce, to Alberto Vega, a Baptist minist ...

, author of ''Omaha Bigelow and Blood Fugues''; Giannina Braschi, author of '' Yo-Yo Boing!'' and ''

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 ...

'';

Pedro Juan Soto Pedro Juan Soto (July 11, 1928 - November 7, 2002) was a Puerto Rican writer, activist, and playwriter who is known for inspiring Puerto Rican Independence in his novels and short stories. In his stories, he depicts the life of people living in P ...

, author of ''Spiks''; and

Manuel Ramos Otero Manuel Ramos Otero (July 20, 1948 – October 7, 1990) was a Puerto Rican writer. He is widely considered to be the most important openly gay twentieth-century Puerto Rican writer who wrote in Spanish, and his work was often controversial ...

, author of "Loca la de la locura."

Poetry

Early poetry

María Bibiana Benítez published her first poem "La Ninfa de Puerto Rico" in 1832. Her niece was Alejandrina Benítez de Gautier, whose "Aguinaldo Puertorriqueño," published in 1843, gave her the recognition of being one of the island's great poets. Alejandrina's son José Gautier Benítez is considered by many to be Puerto Rico's greatest Romantic-era poet. Lola Rodríguez de Tió wrote the lyrics to " La Borinqueña," which was used by the revolutionists in the Grito de Lares. Poets José de Diego, Virgilio Dávila,

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 ...

Nemesio Canales Nemesio Canales (December 18, 1878 – September 14, 1923) was a Puerto Rican essayist, journalist, novelist, playwright, politician and activist who defended women's civil rights. As a politician, he presented a bill to the Puerto Rico House of ...

Francisco Matos Paoli Francisco Matos Paoli (March 9, 1915 – July 10, 2000), was a Puerto Rican poet, critic, and essayist who in 1977 was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. His books were rooted in three major literary movements in Latin America: Rom ...

Juan Antonio Corretjer Juan Antonio Corretjer Montes (March 3, 1908 – January 19, 1985) was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist and pro-independence political activist opposing United States rule in Puerto Rico. Early years Corretjer (birth name: Juan Antonio C ...

, Clemente Soto Vélez and

Hugo Margenat Hugo Margenat (October 10, 1933 – April 7, 1957), was a Puerto Rican poet and Puerto Rican Independence advocate. His art was committed to serving a militant nationalistic agenda. He was the founder of the political youth pro-independence orga ...

were independence advocates who wrote poems with patriotic inspired themes.

Nationalism

In 1928, Soto Vélez, along with Alfredo Margenat (father of Hugo Margenat), Pedro Carrasquillo, Graciany Miranda Archilla, Fernando González Alberti, Luis Hernández Aquino, Samuel Lugo, Juan Calderón Escobar, and Antonio Cruz Nieves founded the group "El Atalaya de los Dioses," which launched the literary movement known as "Atalayismo." The "El Grupo Atalaya" movement sought to connect the poetic/literary world with political action and most of its members, including Soto Vélez became involved with the

Puerto Rican Nationalist Party The Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico ( es, Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico, PNPR) is a Puerto Rican political party founded on September 17, 1922, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Its primary goal is to work for Puerto Rico's independence. The P ...

.Guide to the Clemente Soto Vélez and Amanda Vélez Papers 1924-1996
Giannina Braschi's postmodern work

(2011) addresses the history of Puerto Rico decolonization efforts and declares the independence of Puerto Rico.

Universal lyricism

Mercedes Negrón Muñoz wrote under the name " Clara Lair" and published "Arras de Cristal" (1937), which describes the everyday struggles of the Puerto Rican. However, it was

Julia de Burgos Julia de Burgos García (February 17, 1914 – July 6, 1953) was a Puerto Rican poet. As an advocate of Puerto Rican independence, she served as Secretary General of the Daughters of Freedom, the women's branch of the Puerto Rican National ...

who was to be considered by many as one of the greatest poets to be born in Puerto Rico and who later lived in New York. The inspiration spurred by her love of Puerto Rico is reflected in her poem "Río Grande de Loíza". Other important lyric poets of the early twentieth century include

Luis Palés Matos Luis Palés Matos (March 20, 1898 – February 23, 1959) was a Puerto Rican poet who is credited with creating the poetry genre known as Afro-Antillano. He is also credited with writing the screenplay for the "Romance Tropical", the first Puerto ...

, and Evaristo Ribera Chevremont. After the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

, poets

Juan Ramón Jiménez Juan Ramón Jiménez Mantecón (; 23 December 1881 – 29 May 1958) was a Spanish poet, a prolific writer who received the 1956 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his lyrical poetry, which in the Spanish language constitutes an example of hi ...

(Nobel Laureate, 1956) and his wife Zenobia Camprubí emigrate to Puerto Rico and settle in Juan Juan in 1946. Jiménez's

lyrical Lyrical may refer to: *Lyrics, or words in songs *Lyrical dance, a style of dancing *Emotional, expressing strong feelings *Lyric poetry, poetry that expresses a subjective, personal point of view *Lyric video A music video is a video of variab ...

philosophical Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

poems influenced major Puerto Rican-born writers such as Giannina Braschi ('' Empire of Dreams'', 1988),

(''El Libro de la Muerte'', 1985), and René Marqués (''

La Carreta ''La Carreta'' ( en, The Oxcart) is a 1953 play by Puerto Rican playwright René Marqués.Gil de La Madrid, Antonio.René Marqués, dramaturgo. ''Biografías de escritores puertorriqueños'', ''La Gran Enciclopedia Ilustrada del Proyecto Salón ...

'', 1950). Evaristo Ribera Chevremont's verses deal with nationality, folklore and regionalism, but also touch upon universal lyricism.

Victor Hernández Cruz Victor Hernández Cruz (born February 6, 1949) is a Puerto Rican poet. In 1981, ''Life'' magazine named him one of America's greatest poets.Nicolas Kanellos, "Hispanic Firsts", Visible Ink Press; ; p. 40. Biography Early years Hernández Cruz wa ...

became the first Hispanic poet to be published by a mainstream publishing house (Random House) with the collection ''Snaps'', in 1969.

Playwrights

Among the major figures in Puerto Rican theater is René Marqués (1919-1979 ) author of The ''Oxcart'' (

), which dramatizes the hardships of a Puerto Rican family who move from the island to New York City. His prose contributions include ''El Puertorriqueño Dócil y Otros Ensayos''.

Francisco Arriví Francisco Arriví (June 24, 1915 – February 8, 2007), a.k.a. ''Paco,'' was a writer, poet and playwright known as "The Father of the Puerto Rican Theater." Early years Arriví (birth name: Francisco Arriví Alegria ) was born in Santurce, a ...

(1915–2007), a prominent voice of Puerto Rican theater, developed a dramatic style known as '' Areyto'' and authored "

Bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

y plena" (1958) and ''Vejigantes.'' He helped to establish various theater festivals and the Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré (Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center) in Puerto Rico.

Luis Rafael Sánchez Dr. Luis Rafael Sánchez, a.k.a. "Wico" Sánchez (November 17, 1936) is a Puerto Rican essayist, novelist, and short-story author who is widely considered one of the island's most outstanding contemporary playwrights. Possibly his best known play ...

(1936-) wrote ''Pasión según Antígona Pérez'' (The Passion According to Antigona Perez), a

tragedy Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

based on the life of Olga Viscal Garriga. Among the Puerto Rican

experimental theater Experimental theatre (also known as avant-garde theatre), inspired largely by Wagner's concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, began in Western theatre in the late 19th century with Alfred Jarry and his Ubu plays as a rejection of both the age in particular ...

writers is Giannina Braschi whose dramatic dialogues celebrate Puerto Rican artistic expression and acknowledge the works of her compatriots

, Nilita Vientos,

Luis Pales Matos Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

, and

. Braschi's work

, which features Hamlet, Zarathustra and Hamlet on a mission to liberate Puerto Rico, was staged at the Shapiro Theater in New York City (2015). Emerging Puerto Rican playwrights include Aravind Enrique Adyanthaya, founder of Casa Cruz de la Luna in

San Germán, Puerto Rico San Germán (, ) is a historic town and municipality located in the Sabana Grande Valley of southwestern region of Puerto Rico, south of Mayagüez and Maricao, north of Lajas, east of Hormigueros and Cabo Rojo, and west of Sabana Grande. S ...

. Also notable in this category is playwright and screenwriter José Rivera, the first Puerto Rican screenwriter to be nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. Stateside playwrights of Puerto Rican ancestry include Lin-Manual Miranda, who won a Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Awards for the Broadway musical ''Hamilton''. Miranda, whose parents are Puerto Rican, co-created

In the Heights ''In the Heights'' is a musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is set over the course of three days, involving characters in the largely Dominican American neighborhood of ...

with Quiara Alegría Hudes, whose mother is Puerto Rican.

Journalists

A variety of journalists and columnists further enrich Puerto Rican letters.

Nelson Antonio Denis Nelson Antonio Denis is an American attorney, author, film director, and former representative to the New York State Assembly. From 1997 through 2000, Denis represented New York's 68th Assembly district, which includes the East Harlem and Spanish ...

published more than 300 editorials in

El Diario La Prensa ''El Diario Nueva York'' is the largest and the oldest Spanish-language daily newspaper in the United States. Published by ImpreMedia, the paper covers local, national and international news with an emphasis on Latin America, as well as human- ...

about the New York/Puerto Rican diaspora, which were recognized with repeated "Best Editorial Writing" awards from the

National Association of Hispanic Journalists The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is a Washington, D.C.-based organization dedicated to the advancement of Hispanic and Latino journalists in the United States and Puerto Rico. It was established in 1984. NAHJ has approxim ...

. Denis's history book ''War Against All Puerto Ricans'', about the evolution of US-Puerto Rico relations since 1898, was the best-selling book in Puerto Rico in 2015 and 2016. José Luis González (1926-1996) whose work ''País de cuatro pisos y otros ensayos'' describes the rigid structures of island society. David Gonzalez is a journalist at the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

. Over a 25-year career, Gonzalez has written hundreds of stories in the ''New York Times'' which deal with the history, culture, politics and people of Puerto Rico. In 2013, the

inducted Gonzalez into its Hall of Fame, in recognition of his lifetime of committed and compassionate journalism. Gerson Borrero is a journalist, radio host, and TV commentator in New York City. He has been editor-at-large of City & State NY and editor-in-chief of El Diario/La Prensa, the largest Spanish-language newspaper in

. His press coverage has ranged from New York City politics, cultural reviews and personality profiles, to the Somos Uno Conference and the Puerto Rican Day Parade.

Historians

Historians such as Dr. Delma S. Arrigoitia have written books and documented the contributions that Puerto Rican women have made to society. Arrigoitia was the first person in the University of Puerto Rico to earn a master's degree in the field of history. Her publications, which cover Puerto Rico's early-20th-century politicians, include: ''Jose De Diego el legislador, San Juan'', ''Eduardo Giorgetti Y Su Mundo: La Aparente Paradoja De Un Millonario Genio Empresarial Y Su Noble Humanismo;'', ''Puerto Rico Por Encima de Todo: Vida y Obra de Antonio R. Barcelo, 1868-1938;'' and ''Introduccion a la Historia de la Moda en Puerto Rico''."Los Tres Hombres de Delma"; ''El Vocero''; by Carlos Ochpteco; March 27, 2010; p. 30 Teresita A. Levy's ''Puerto Ricans in the Empire: The History of Tobacco Cultivation in Puerto Rico, 1898-1940'', a study of the tobacco-growing regions in the eastern and western highlands of Puerto Rico, is the first book to tell how Puerto Ricans challenged United States officials and fought successfully for legislation that benefited the island. Her book has been praised by scholars. ''Puerto Ricans in the Empire'' provides an excellent introduction to Puerto Rico's crucial tobacco industry, with fascinating material on farmer organizations and agricultural research." —Herbert S. Klein, Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History Columbia University

Modern and contemporary Puerto Rican literature

After a nationalist tradition of Puerto Rican writers from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, authors are catalogued by decade into "generations." Some highly representative writers from the early and mid-20th century were:

, Palés Matos, Enrique Laguerre, and Francisco Matos Paoli. These Puerto Rican writers wrote in Spanish and reflected a literary Latin American tradition, and offered a variety of universal and social themes. Major writers who got their start in the 1950s include José Luis González, René Marqués, Pedro Juan Soto, and Emilio Díaz Valcárcel. Authors whose careers began in the 1960s and 1970s include Jack Agüeros, Angelamaría Dávila, Lourdes Vázquez, Rosario Ferré,

, Olga Nolla, Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá, Myrna Casas, and

Luis López Nieves Luis López Nieves (born January 17, 1950) is Puerto Rican author. He has collaborated with several newspapers and written two TV miniseries. He has written the scripts for PSA advertisements. He has been visiting professor at the University o ...

. Major writers of the 1980s and 1990s include Ana Lydia Vega, Giannina Braschi,

Mayra Santos-Febres Mayra Santos-Febres (born 1966 in Carolina) is a Puerto Rican author, poet, novelist, professor of literature, essayist, and literary critic and author of children's books. Her work focuses on themes of race, diaspora identity, female sexua ...

, Luz María Umpierre, and

Eduardo Lalo Eduardo Lalo (born 1960) is a Puerto Rican novelist, best known for his novel ''Simone'', who won the Rómulo Gallegos Prize. Biography Although born in Cuba, he identifies himself as Puerto Rican and is involved in the island's affairs. He l ...

. Breakthrough voices of a new Puerto Rican literature began to emerge at the turn of the new century with the publication of Pedro Cabiya's ''Historias tremendas'' in 1999. Identity politics and the complexities of Puerto Rico's relationship with the U.S. — topics that had dominated the work of previous writers — gave way to the exploration of new genres and themes, such as Latinx

speculative fiction Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, nat ...

, horror, fantasy, and noir, as seen in the short stories, novels, and comics by Pedro Cabiya, the experimentation by Bruno Soreno, and the short stories by José Liboy and Luis Negrón (whose ''Mundo Cruel won'' a

Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction The Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation The Lambda Literary Foundation (also known as Lambda Literary) is an American LGBTQ literary organization whose mission is to ...

, 2014). Emerging voices on the island include Rafael Acevedo, Moisés Agosto,

Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro (born October 29, 1970) is a Puerto Rican novelist, short story writer and essayist. Biography Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro was born on 29 October 1970 in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and was raised by her grandparents, Petronila Car ...

Janette Becerra Janette Becerra (Caguas, Puerto Rico, 1965) is a Puerto Rican poet, writer, teacher and literary critic. She obtained an MA in comparative literature and a Ph.D. in Spanish literature at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. She h ...

, Ana María Fuster Lavín,

Zoé Jiménez Corretjer Zoé Jiménez Corretjer is an author from Puerto Rico. She is a professor in the Department of Humanities, University of Puerto Rico at Humacao. Life Jiménez Corretjer born in San Juan, Puerto Rico has a Doctorate Degree from Temple University ...

, Juan López Bauzá, Alberto Martínez Márquez, Luis Negrón, Maribel Ortiz, Max Resto, and José E. Santos.

Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes (born April 10, 1968) is a gay Puerto Rican author, scholar, and performer. He is better known as Larry La Fountain. He has received several awards for his creative writing and scholarship as well as for his work with ...

, Ángel Lozada, Benito Pastoriza Iyodo, Alfredo Villanueva Collado write and publish their works in Spanish on the mainland USA. Puerto Rican authors who write in English include Erika Lopez, Ivelisse Rodriguez, Lilliam Rivera, Quiara Alegria Hudes,

Jaquira Díaz Jaquira Díaz is a Puerto Rican fiction writer, essayist, journalist, cultural critic, and professor. She is the author of ''Ordinary Girls'', which received a Whiting Award in Nonfiction, a Florida Book Awards Gold Medal, was a Lambda Literary A ...

Richie Narvaez Richie Narvaez (born 1965) is an American author and professor. In 2020, he won an Agatha Award and an Anthony Awards, Anthony Award for his novel ''Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco.'' His work focuses on the Puerto Rican and Nuyorican exper ...

, and

Ernesto Quiñonez Ernesto Quiñonez (born 1965) is an Ecuadorian-Puerto Rican novelist. His work received the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers designation, the Borders Bookstore Original New Voice selection, and was declared a "Notable Book of the Year ...

Anthologies

Anthologies that focus on Puerto Rican writers include: * ''Aftershocks of Disaster: Puerto Rico Before and After the Storm,'' edited by Yarimar Bonilla and Marisol LeBrón (Haymarket Books, 2019) * ''Boricua en la Luna,'' edited by Elena M. Aponte * ''Boricuas: Influential Puerto Rican Writings,'' edited by Roberto Santiago (Ballantine Books, 1995) * ''Borinquen: An Anthology of Puerto Rican Literature,'' edited by Maria Teresa Babin and Stan Steiner (Knopf, 1974) * ''Breaking Ground/Abriendo Caminos: Anthology of Puerto Rican Women Writers in New York, 1980-2012,'' edited by Myrna Nieves * ''Growing Up Puerto Rican,'' edited by Joy L. De Jesús (William Morrow and Company, 1997) * ''Literatura y narrativa puertorriqueña: La escritura entre siglos,'' edited by Mario Cancel * ''Literatura puertorriqueña del siglo XX: Antología,'' edited by Mercedes López Baralt * ''Los otros cuerpos: Antología de temática gay, lésbica y queer desde Puerto Rico y su diáspora,'' edited by David Caleb Acevedo, Moisés Agosto, and Luis Negrón, which focuses on

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

themes * ''Nuestro New York: An Anthology of Puerto Rican Plays'', edited by John V. Antush (SIgnet, 1994) * ''¡Pa'que Tu Lo Sepas!'' edited by Angel Luis Colón * ''Puerto Rico en Mi Corazón,'' edited by Raquel Salas Rivera, Ricardo Maldonado, Carina del Valle Schorske (Anomalous Press, 2019) * ''Puerto Rican Poetry: A Selection from Aboriginal to Contemporary Times,'' edited by Robert MárquezMárquez, Robert, ed. ''Puerto Rican Poetry: A Selection from Aboriginal to Contemporary Times.'' Amherst:

University of Massachusetts Press The University of Massachusetts Press is a university press that is part of the University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts a ...

, 2007. * ''Puerto Rican Writers at Home in the U.S.A.,'' edited by Faythe Turner (Open Hand, 1991) * ''San Juan Noir,'' edited by Mayra Santos-Febres (Akashic Noir, 2016

References

External links

University of Notre Dame Library, The Hispanic Caribbean Literature Collection''Sargasso
a journal of literature, language, and culture is online in the

Digital Library of the Caribbean The Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) is an international digital library operated collaboratively by the contributing partners. Partners Current partners continue to grow on a regular basis and are listed on thdLOC Partner Page Partners in ...

from 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 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puerto Rican Literature Cultural history of Puerto Rico Latin American literature by country