Cruz María Salmerón Acosta (Born January 3, 1892, in Manicuare,

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

– 30 July 1929 in Manicuare) was a

n poet. His

sonnets A sonnet is a fixed poetic form with a structure traditionally consisting of fourteen lines adhering to a set Rhyme scheme, rhyming scheme. The term derives from the Italian word ''sonetto'' (, from the Latin word ''sonus'', ). Originating in ...

were influenced by the movement of

modernismo ''Modernismo'' is a literary movement that took place primarily during the end of the nineteenth and early 20th century in the Spanish-speaking world, best exemplified by Rubén Darío, who is known as the father of ''modernismo''. The term ''m ...

. He received his early education in the home of Petra and Carlota González, neighbors in Manicuare. He then moved to

Cumaná Cumaná () is the capital city of Venezuela's Sucre State. It is located east of Caracas. Cumaná was one of the first cities founded by Spain in the mainland Americas and is the oldest continuously-inhabited Hispanic-established city in Sout ...

entering in the school of Pedro Luis Cedeño, and attended high school in the Federal Lyceum, in the same city. In 1910, he traveled to

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

and began to study political science in the

Central University of Venezuela Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

. By 1911 he wrote his first sonnet ''Cielo y Mar'' (Sky and Sea) dedicated to his friend, the poet

José Antonio Ramos Sucre José Antonio Ramos Sucre (Cumaná, 9 June 1890 – Geneva, 13 June 1930) was a Venezuelan poet, professor, diplomat and scholar. He was a member of the Sucre family of Venezuela and the great-great-nephew of Antonio José de Sucre. He was educate ...

. In addition, he contributed to publications such as: ''Satiricón'', ''La U'', ''Claros del Alba'', ''Élite'', ''Renacimiento'', El Universal, ''El Nuevo Diario'' and ''Broche de Oro''. Two years later he was diagnosed with

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

. Doctors advised him to return to Manicuare to avoid a medical quarantine. Salmerón continued in his studies despite the warning. In 1913 he returned to his hometown after the government of

Juan Vicente Gómez Juan Vicente Gómez Chacón (24 July 1857 – 17 December 1935) was a Venezuelan military general, politician and '' de facto'' ruler of Venezuela from 1908 until his death in 1935. He only officially served as president on three occasions d ...

closed the university. After his return, his sister Encarnación died, and his brother Antoñico was killed by the civil chief of the town. as a result, Salmerón decided to confront the authority and was jailed for a year in Cumaná. He then returned to Manicuare, isolating himself in a small house built especially for him. There he would spend his last fifteen years. During the month of July, 1929, Manicuare suffered a severe drought and after his death on 30 July, rains returned. This coincidence has become part of the heritage of the region, popularly expressed in songs like ''Canción Cumanesa'', by singer-songwriter

Alí Primera Ely Rafael Primera Rosell (31 October 1941–16 February 1985) known artistically as Alí Primera, was a Venezuelan musician, composer, poet, and political activist. He was born in Coro, Falcón State, Venezuela and died in Caracas. He was o ...

. A compilation of his work was published in 1952 entitled ''Fuente de Amargura'' (Bitterness Fountain). In 1983, film director

Jacobo Penzo Jacobo Penzo (born 1948 in Carora; died 2020 in Caracas), was a Venezuelan filmmaker, best known for his drama piece '' The House of Water'', shown in the Directors' Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival in 1984. The film also represented ...

made a movie based on his life: ''La Casa de Agua'' (

The House of Water ''The House of Water'' () is a 1983 Venezuelan drama film of the nation's Golden Age directed by Jacobo Penzo. The film was selected as the Venezuelan entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 57th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as ...

). The municipality, Manicuare, was renamed Cruz Salmerón Acosta in his honor.

References

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Cruz Salmerón Acosta - Universidad de Oriente
*

* ttp://www.sucreturistico.com/cruzsalmeron.htm Historia de Cruz Salmerón Acosta... El poeta de Manicuare - Sucre Turístico*
Life and work of Salmerón Acosta - Letralia
*
Cruz María Salmerón Acosta (1892-1929) - El poder de la palabra

External links

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Sonnet «Azul» (Blue) - YouTube
*
Cruz Salmerón Acosta: la historia que canta mi pueblo - Youtube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salmeron Acosta, Cruz 1892 births 1929 deaths People from Sucre (state) Venezuelan male poets Central University of Venezuela alumni Deaths from leprosy 20th-century Venezuelan poets 20th-century Venezuelan male writers Infectious disease deaths in Venezuela