Dr. José Antonio Dávila (October 7, 1898 – December 4, 1941) was a
postmodern
Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting the wo ...
Puerto Rican poet.
Life and career
Dávila 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 (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to:
* San Juan, Puerto Rico
* San Juan, Argentina
* San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines
San Juan may also refer to:
Places Arge ...
.
Early years
In 1918, he enrolled in the
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Universidad de Puerto Rico;'' often shortened to UPR) is the main List of state and territorial universities in the United States, public university system in the Commonwealth (U.S. i ...
and later transferred to
Thomas Jefferson University
Thomas Jefferson University is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
where he studied
medicine
Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
, 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 (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, but returned to Puerto Rico in 1930.
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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 corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...
of Bayamón, Virgilio Dávila.[PREB](_blank)
/ref>
Written works
Much of Dávila's work was published posthumously. Besides ''Vendimia'', his other works are:
Death
Dr José Antonio Dávila died on December 4, 1941, at the age of 43. He was buried next to his father at Cementerio Porta Coeli in his hometown Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
Commemoration
The City of Bayamón has named a school and an avenue after him.
See also
*List of Puerto Rican writers
This is a list of Puerto Rican literary figures, including poets, novelists, short story authors, and playwrights. It includes people who were born in Puerto Rico, people who are of Puerto Rican ancestry, and long-term residents or immigrants w ...
*List of Puerto Ricans
This is a list of notable people from Puerto Rico which includes people who were born in Puerto Rico (Borinquen) and people who are of full or partial Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican descent. Puerto Rican citizens are included, as the governm ...
*Puerto Rican literature
Puerto Rican literature is the body of literature produced by writers of Puerto Rican descent. It evolved from the art of Oral literature, oral storytelling. Written works by the indigenous inhabitants of Puerto Rico were originally prohibited ...
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
20th-century Puerto Rican physicians