Jorge Debravo
Encyclopedia
Jorge Debravo was a prominent poet
from Costa Rica
.
Debravo was born in Guayabo, on the slopes of the Turrialba Volcano
in Costa Rica. He was the oldest of five children where he spent his early years helping his father, Joaquín Bravo Ramírez, manage a small milpa
. Debravo was taught to read and write by his mother, Cristina Brenes and by the age of fourteen he was able to enter the fifth grade thanks to a scholarship. The first book he purchased was a dictionary
.
A popular anecdote says that Debravo wrote his first poems on banana paper
. Eventually, his first works would get published in a local magazine called "El Turrialbeño" by the time he was in the ninth grade. He would soon leave school to start working for the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (Social Security).
In 1959 he married Margarita Salazar, with whom he had two children: Lucrecia, in 1960, and Raimundo in 1961.
Jorge Debravo was killed in 1967, at age 29, when he was the victim of a drunk driving accident in San Pedro
, San José
January 31, the day he was born, is celebrated in Costa Rica as the National Day of Poetry.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
from Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
.
Debravo was born in Guayabo, on the slopes of the Turrialba Volcano
Turrialba Volcano
Turrialba Volcano was named after the region of Costa Rica in which the volcano is situated in Turrialba County, Cartago of Costa Rica. There is no clear consensus on the origin of the name Turrialba, but historians disagree with attempts to attribute the name to the patronym Torrealba or from...
in Costa Rica. He was the oldest of five children where he spent his early years helping his father, Joaquín Bravo Ramírez, manage a small milpa
Milpa
right|thumb|A typical modern Central American Milpa. The corn stalks have been bent and left to dry with cobs still on, for other crops, such as beans, to be planted. Milpa is a crop-growing system used throughout Mesoamerica...
. Debravo was taught to read and write by his mother, Cristina Brenes and by the age of fourteen he was able to enter the fifth grade thanks to a scholarship. The first book he purchased was a dictionary
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
.
A popular anecdote says that Debravo wrote his first poems on banana paper
Banana paper
Banana paper is used in two different senses: to refer to a paper made from the bark of the banana plant, mainly used for artistic purposes, or paper made from banana fiber, obtained from an industrialized process, from the stem and the non-utilizable fruits...
. Eventually, his first works would get published in a local magazine called "El Turrialbeño" by the time he was in the ninth grade. He would soon leave school to start working for the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (Social Security).
In 1959 he married Margarita Salazar, with whom he had two children: Lucrecia, in 1960, and Raimundo in 1961.
Jorge Debravo was killed in 1967, at age 29, when he was the victim of a drunk driving accident in San Pedro
San Pedro, Costa Rica
San Pedro is the capital of Montes de Oca Canton in the San José Province. It is home to the University of Costa Rica as well as other institutions of higher learning. It has all the services and facilities of any major city....
, San José
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
January 31, the day he was born, is celebrated in Costa Rica as the National Day of Poetry.