Rosario Ferré Ramírez de Arellano (September 28, 1938 – February 18, 2016) was a Puerto Rican writer, poet, and essayist.
Her father,

Luis A. Ferré Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo (February 17, 1904 October 20, 2003) was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the governor of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973. He was the founder of the ...

, was the third elected

Governor of Puerto Rico The governor of Puerto Rico ( es, gobernador de Puerto Rico) is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and commander-in-chief of the Puerto Rico National Guard. The governor has a duty ...

and the founding father of the

New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico The New Progressive Party ( es, Partido Nuevo Progresista, PNP) is a political party in Puerto Rico that advocates statehood. The PNP is one of the two major parties in Puerto Rico with significant political strength and currently holds both ...

. When her mother,

Lorenza Ramírez de Arellano Isabel Lorenza (Lorencita) Ramírez de Arellano y Bartoli (July 8, 1902 – March 5, 1970) was the first wife of former Governor of Puerto Rico Luis A. Ferré and served as First Lady from 1968 until her death in 1970. Ramírez de Arellano ...

, died in 1970 during her father's term as governor, Rosario fulfilled the duties of

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

until 1972. She was the recipient of the "Liberatur Prix" award from the

Frankfurt Book Fair The Frankfurt Book Fair (German: Frankfurter Buchmesse, FBM) is the world's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. It is considered to be the most important book fair in the world for internationa ...

for "Kristallzucker", the German translation of "Maldito Amor".University of the Sacred Heart, News: Pasión y sentidos se cruzan en Las puertas del placer de Rosario Ferré.

Early years

Rosario Ferré (birth name: Rosario Ferré Ramírez de Arellano) 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 ...

, into one 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 ...

's wealthiest families. Her parents were the former First Family of Puerto Rico

(Governor) and

Ensayistas.org, Rosario Ferré.
Retrieved January 6, 2007. She is the niece of the late Sor

Isolina Ferré ''Sor'' Isolina Ferré Aguayo (5 September 1914 – 3 August 2000) was a Puerto Rican Roman Catholic religious sister. Known as the "Mother Teresa of Puerto Rico", she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her humanitari ...

, recipient of the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merito ...

. Ferré received her primary education at Ponce, Puerto Rico. In 1951, she was sent to Wellesley, Massachusetts and attended

Dana Hall School Dana Hall School is an independent boarding and day school for girls in grades 5-12 located in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Founded in 1881 by Henry F. Durant, Dana Hall originally served as Wellesley College's preparatory program. Notable alumna ...

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

br>Conference, Women Who Will: A Celebration of Wellesley College Alumnae and Their Life Paths
, Person of the Week, Week of May 28, 2001: Rosario Ferré, '60. Ferré began writing professionally at age 14, publishing articles in Puerto Rico's

El Nuevo Día ''El Nuevo Día'' (English: ''The New Day'') is the newspaper with the largest circulation in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1909 in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and today it is a subsidiary of GFR Media. Its headquarters are in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. ...

newspaper. In her youth, Ferré was an advocate of independence, despite the fact that her father was pro-statehood (and, later, she too became an advocate of statehood.) Upon graduating from high school she went to the United States where she gained her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and FrenchSolo Literatura.com, Rosario Ferré.
from

Manhattanville College Manhattanville College is a private university in Purchase, New York. Founded in 1841 at 412 Houston Street in lower Manhattan, it was initially known as Academy of the Sacred Heart, then after 1847 as Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart ...

. She is a member of

Mu Alpha Phi Mu Alpha Phi () is a sorority established in Puerto Rico on October 24, 1927. It is considered to be the first Puerto Rican fraternities and sororities, Puerto Rican sorority founded in the island. The sorority has Alumni and University chapter ...

sorority Fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities in North America. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student, but continues thereafter for life. Some accept gradua ...

. Ferré returned to Puerto Rico where in the 1970s she enrolled in 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 ...

to study for her master's degree. During her time as a student, Ferré began her writing career as the founder, editor and publisher of the

journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

"Zona de Carga y Descarga" along with her cousin,

Olga Nolla Olga Nolla (September 18, 1938 – July 30, 2001)
by Voices from the Gaps: Women Artists and Writers of Color, Rosario Ferré.
/ref> The Journal was also published along with the poet Luis Cesar Rivera. In “Zona de Carga y Descarga”, Ferré published some of her own poetry along with short stories. The journal was devoted to publishing the works of new writers and to promoting the ideas of the independence movement. The journal ran for 9 issues, the first being published in 1972, and the last being published in 1975. Among the novelists and short story writers of Puerto Rico to share Ferré's commitment to satire were

Ana Lydia Vega Ana Lydia Vega (born December 6, 1946, Santurce, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican writer. Biography Her parents were Virgilio Vega, an "oral poet" from Coamo, Puerto Rico, and Doña María Santana, a teacher from the town of Arroyo. She went to ...

and

Giannina Braschi Giannina Braschi (born February 5, 1953) is a Puerto Rican poet, novelist, dramatist, and scholar. Her notable works include ''Empire of Dreams'' (1988), ''Yo-Yo Boing!'' (1998) ''and United States of Banana'' (2011). Braschi writes cross-genr ...

. Ferré also has published poems and written a biography about her father. Upon earning her master's degree, Ferré enrolled in the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

where she graduated with a PhD in

Latin American Literature Latin American literature consists of the oral and written literature of Latin America in several languages, particularly in Spanish, Portuguese, and the indigenous languages of the Americas. It rose to particular prominence globally during the ...

. Her doctoral thesis was titled: "La filiación romántica de los cuentos de

Julio Cortázar Julio Florencio Cortázar (26 August 1914 – 12 February 1984; ) was an Argentine, nationalized French novelist, short story writer, essayist, and translator. Known as one of the founders of the Latin American Boom, Cortázar influenced an ent ...

" (''The romantic link between the stories of Julio Cortázar'').

Career

Ferré began her literary career writing in Spanish. In 1976, Ferré published her first collection of short stories, "Papeles de Pandora." In 1977, she published a collection of her literary essays entitled "Sitio a Eros", which promoted political and social themes. In 1986, she published her first book, "Maldito Amor", which she self-translated into English as "Sweet Diamond Dust." After publishing "Maldito Amor", she began to write the first versions of her other books in English In 2002, she published a bilingual edition of poems "Language Duel/Duelo del language." In order to write her novel, ''Memorias de Ponce. Autobiografía de Luis A. Ferré'', she transcribed audio left by her father describing his childhood in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Ferré worked as a Professor at the University of Puerto Rico and was a contributing editor for

The San Juan Star ''The San Juan Star'' is an English-language daily newspaper based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper was originally published by Star Media Network, a subdivision of San Juan Star, Inc. History The newspaper was f ...

, which was once Puerto Rico's English language newspaper. Ferré has also been a visiting professor at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

and

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

Honors

Ferré won the first prize in a short story contest of the

Ateneo Puertorriqueño The Ateneo Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Athenaeum), is a cultural institution in Puerto Rico. Founded on April 30, 1876, it has been called Puerto Rico's oldest cultural institution, however, it is actually its third oldest overall and second c ...

in 1974. In 1992, she was the recipient of the "Liberatur Prix" award from the

for "Kristallzucker", the German translation of "Maldito Amor". In 1997, she was also awarded an honorary doctorate from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

. Ferré was a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

recipient in 2004. She is also recognized at Ponce's Tricentennial Park for her contributions in the field of literature.

Personal

Upon finishing school, Ferré married Benigno Trigo González, a businessman, by whom she has three children: Rosario Lorenza, Benigno, and Luis Alfredo. They divorced ten years later. While studying at the Department for Hispanic Studies of the

, she met her second husband, Jorge Aguilar Mora, a writer and Professor of

Mexican literature Mexican literature is one of the most prolific and influential of Spanish-language literatures along with those of Spain and Argentina. Found among the names of its most important and internationally recognized literary figures are authors Oc ...

; they divorced after a few years. Ferré met her third husband, Agustín Costa Quintana, a Puerto Rican architect, while living in Washington, D.C. They later moved to Puerto Rico, where they resided. Ferré died of natural causes, surrounded by family on February 18, 2016 in her home in San Juan, 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 ...

in San Juan.

Written works

Some of Ferré’s works are:

Fiction

*"Flight of the Swan / El Vuelo del Cisne", 2001; Spanish version: "El Vuelo del Cisne", 2002 *"La extraña muerte del Capitancito Candelario", 2002. *"Eccentric Neighborhoods / Vecindarios excentricos",1998; Spanish version: "Vecindarios excéntricos", 1999 *"The House on the Lagoon", 1995; Spanish version: "La casa de la laguna", 1997 *"La Batalla de Las Vírgenes", 1994 *"The Youngest Doll", 1991 (an English version of "

La muñeca menor ''La muñeca menor'' (1972)'','' also known as, ''The Youngest Doll'' is a short story written by Rosario Ferré. The story is told in third person narrative, and is part of a larger group of published work in her book of short stories, "Papele ...

") *"Sonatinas. Cuentos de niños", 1991 *"Maldito Amor", 1985; English version: "Sweet Diamond Dust and Other Stories",1989 *"El Medio Pollito", 1981 *" Los Cuentos de Juan Bobo", 1981 *"

", 1976

Essays

*"Las Puertas del Placer", 2005 *"A la sombra de tu nombre" (The Shadow of Your Name) Published by Alfaguara; 2001 *"Destiny, Language, and Translation; or, Ophelia Adrift in the C & O Canal." In The "Youngest Doll"; By Ferré. Lincoln: U of Nebraska P, 1991. 153-65. *"El Coloquio de las Perras" Published by Editorial Cultural, 1991 *"Cortázar: El Romántico en su Observatorio"; Puerto Rico; Editorial Cultura, 1991 *"El Arbol y sus Sombras (The tree and its shadows)"; Mexico: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1990 *"La autenticidad de la mujer en el arte" *"El Acomodador: una lectura fantastica de Felisberto Hernandez (The Accommodator: a fantastic lecture by Felisberto Hernandez)", 1986 *"Sitio a Eros: Quince ensayos literarios", 1986 *"La cocina de la escritura." In Literatures in Transition: The Many Voices of the Caribbean Area. Ed. Rose S. Minc. Gaithersburg: Hispamérica/Las Américas, 1982. 37–51. *"Sitio a Eros"; Trece ensayos literarios, 1980

Poetry

* "Fisuras", 2006 *"Language Duel/Duelo del Lenguaje", 2003 * "Antología Personal"; 1992-1976, 1994 Library of Congress Online Catalog, Antología Personal.
/ref> *"Fabulas de la Garza Desangrada", 1982 *"Las dos Venecias"; Poemas y cuentos, 1992

Biographies

*''Memorias de Ponce; Biografía de Don

''; Published by Editorial Norma, 1992

Critical studies of Ferré's work

* Acosta Cruz, María I. "Historia, ser e identidad femenina en 'El collar de camándulas' y 'Maldito amor' de Rosario Ferré." Chasqui 22.2 (1993): 23–31. * Acosta Cruz, María I."Historia y escritura femenina en

Olga Nolla Olga Nolla (September 18, 1938 – July 30, 2001)
by Magali García Ramis Magali García Ramis (born 1946, Santurce, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican writer. Biography Magali García Ramis was born in 1946 in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico and spent her childhood there with her mother, father and brothers, near her m ...

, Rosario Ferré y

." ''Revista Iberoamericana'' 59 (1993): 265–77. * Allatson, Paul. "Rosario Ferré's Trans-'American' Fantasy, or Subalternizing the Self," in Latino Dreams: Transcultural Traffic and the U.S. National Imaginary. Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi, 2002, 59–108. * Alvarado Sierra, Melissa. "La narrativa activista de Rosario Ferré: feminismo e identidad." Madrid: McGraw-Hill Interamericana de España, S.L., 2020. * Apter-Cragnolino, Aída. “De sitios y asedios: la escritura de Rosario Ferré.” ''

Revista Chilena de Literatura ''Revista Chilena de Literatura'' is an academic journal about literature published by the University of Chile The University of Chile ( es, Universidad de Chile) is a public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 1 ...

'' 42 (1993): 25–30. * Bustos Fernández, María José. “Subversión de la autoridad narrativa en Maldito amor de Rosario Ferré.” Chasqui 23.1 (1994): 22–29. * Cavallo, Susana. “Llevando la contraria: el contracanto de Rosario Ferré.” Monographic Review-Revista Monográfica 8 (1992): 197–204. * Filer, Malva E. “Polifonía y contrapunto: la crónica histórica en ‘Maldito amor,’ y The House on the Lagoon.” ''Revista Hispánica Moderna'' 49.2 (1996): 318–28.* *Garrigós, Cristina. *"Bilingües, biculturales y posmodernas: Rosario Ferré y

,", Insula. ''Revista de Ciencias y Letras'', 2002 JUL-AGO; LVII (667–668). * Gazarian Gautier. "Rosario Ferré." Interviews with Latin American Writers. Elmwood Park, IL: Dalkey Archive Press, 1989. 81–92. * Gould Levine, Linda y Gloria Feiman Waldman. "No más máscaras: Un diálogo entre tres escritoras del Caribe: Belkis Cuza Malé – Cuba, Matilde Daviú – Venezuela, Rosario Ferré – Puerto Rico." Literatures in Transition: The Many Voices of the Caribbean Area: A Symposium. Ed. Rose S. Minc. Gathersburg: Hispamérica, 1982. 189–197. * Heinrich, María Elena. "Entrevista a Rosario Ferré." Prismal/Cabral 7–8 (1982): 98–103. * Hintz, Suzanne S. Rosario Ferré, A Search for Identity. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 1995. * Jaffe, Janice A. “Translation and Prostitution: Rosario Ferré’s Maldito Amor and Sweet Diamond Dust.” Latin American Literary Review 23.46 (1995): 66–82. * Mullen, Edward. “Interpreting Puerto Rico’s Cultural Myths: Rosario Ferré and

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

." Americas Review 17 (1989): 88–97. * Pérez Marín, Carmen I. "De la épica a la novela: la recuperación de la voz en Maldito amor de Rosario Ferré.” Letras Femeninas 20.1–2 (1994): 35–43. * Skinner, Lee. “Pandora’s Log: Charting the Evolving Literary Project of Rosario Ferré.” Revista de Estudios Hispánicos 29 (1995): 461–75. * Vega Carney, Carmen. “El amor como discurso político en Ana Lydia Vega y Rosario Ferré.” Letras Femeninas 22.1–2 (1991): 77–87. * Zapata, Miguel Angel. "Rosario Ferré: La poesía de narrar." Inti 26–27 (1987–1988): 133–140.

Notes

References

External links

Dana Hall School
* Sin Pelos en la Lengua: Entrevista a Rosario Ferr�

* Ferré, Rosario, and Archive Of Hispanic Literature On Tape. ''Puerto Rican writer Rosario Ferré reading from her prose and poetry.'' 1982. Audio. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/93842392/
Rosario Ferré papers
at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University, New York, NY {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferre, Rosario 1938 births 2016 deaths Burials at Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery First Ladies and Gentlemen of Puerto Rico Manhattanville College alumni Poets from Ponce Puerto Rican women writers University of Maryland, College Park alumni University of Puerto Rico faculty Wellesley College alumni 20th-century Puerto Rican writers Dana Hall School alumni American women academics