Dr. José Antonio Dávila (October 7, 1898 – December 4, 1941) was a
postmodern
Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or Rhetorical modes, mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by philosophical skepticism, skepticis ...
Puerto Rican poet.
Life and career
Dávila (birth name: José Antonio Dávila Morales
) was born and raised in
Bayamon, Puerto Rico into a literary family; he received both his primary and secondary education here and went to high school in
Santurce,
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Juan Province, Argentina
* San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province
* San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province
* San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
.
Early years
In 1918, he 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 ...
and later transferred to
Thomas Jefferson University
Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univer ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
where he studied
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 ...
, earning his
medical degree
A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...
in 1924; after graduating he established a medical practice there.
He was married to Alma Blake with whom he had a son (José Antonio Dávila, Jr.). Dávila became fatally ill and had to abandon his medical practice. He was interned at the Saranac Lake Hospital in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, but returned to Puerto Rico in 1930.
[Proyecto Salon Hogar](_blank)
/ref> He is now buried in the city's Porta Coeli Cemetery, next to his father.
Dávila became a poet and received an award from the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture for his poem ''Vendimia'' (1940). His main source of inspiration was his father, the poet and Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of Bayamón, Virgilio Dávila.[PREB](_blank)
/ref>
Written works
Much of Dávila's work was published posthumously. Besides ''Vendimia'', his other works are:
Commemoration
The City of Bayamon has named a school and an avenue after him.
Notes
See also
* List of Puerto Rican writers
* List of Puerto Ricans
* Puerto Rican literature
References
External links
General Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davila, Jose Antonio
1898 births
1941 deaths
People from Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican poets
Puerto Rican male writers
Thomas Jefferson University alumni
20th-century American poets
20th-century American male writers