Juan Antonio Corretjer
Encyclopedia
Juan Antonio Corretjer Montes (March 3, 1908 - January 19, 1985), was a poet, journalist and pro-independence political activist opposing United States rule in Puerto Rico
.
, into a politically active pro-independence family. His parents were Diego Corretjer Hernández and María Brígida Montes González. His father and uncles were involved in the "Ciales Uprising" of August 13, 1898, against the United States occupation. As a lad, he would often accompany his father and uncles to political rallies. He received his primary and secondary education in his hometown. In 1920, when he was only 12 years old, Corretjer wrote his first poem "Canto a Ciales" (I sing to Ciales). In 1924, Corretjer published his first booklet of poems.
Corretjer joined the "Literary Society of Jose Gautier Benitez
", which later would be renamed the "Nationalist Youth", while he was still in elementary school. When he was in 8th grade, he organized a student protest against the United States in his town. He was expelled from his local high school for organizing a strike to have it renamed for José de Diego
. Corretjer was then sent to school in the town of Vega Baja
.
where he published his first two books of poetry: "Agüeybaná" (1932) and "Ulises" (1933). Throughout his life, he wrote for various newspapers and publications in Puerto Rico, Cuba
and the United States.
In 1935, Corretjer travelled to Cuba and joined an anti-Batista
group whose aim was to overthrow the U.S.-backed Cuban dictator
. He also traveled to Haiti
and to the Dominican Republic
looking for international support for Puerto Rico's independence movement. In 1936, Corretjer met and became friends with the nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos
. He was named Secretary General of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
soon after. Corretjer, Campos and fellow poet Clemente Soto Vélez
were arrested. Corretjer was sent to "La Princesa" prison for one year in 1937, because he refused to hand over to the American authorities the Book of Acts of the Nationalists Party, as result of his political beliefs. Later that year, Campos and Corretjer were accused of "Conspiring against the Government of the United States in Puerto Rico" and even though a local jury found them innocent, the ruling was overturned and later they were found guilty and sent to the US Federal prison at Atlanta, Georgia
.
On October 30, 1950, the Nationalists staged uprisings in the towns of Ponce
, Mayagüez
, Naranjito
, Arecibo
, Utuado
(Utuado Uprising
), San Juan (Nationalist attack of San Juan
), and Jayuya
(Jayuya Uprising
). Corretjer was among the many nationalists arrested.
is no longer an idealized figure but allegory of revolutionary legacy. In the prologue of "Yerba bruja", Corretjer states it was not his intent to "dig up a mummy" but to bring to light "the splendor of the indigenous imagination that lives on in our own."
His poetry spans several decades and transcended any particular literary movement. The Puerto Rican Athenaeum
awarded him the honorary title of Puerto Rico National Poet.
Puerto Rican musician Roy Brown Ramírez set many of Corretjer's poems to music, particularly "En la vida todo es ir" (later versioned by artists such as Joan Manuel Serrat
, Mercedes Sosa
, Antonio Cabán Vale
, Haciendo Punto en Otro Son
, Fiel A La Vega
, Lucecita Benítez
and others), "Sal a caminar", "Diana de Guilarte" and "Oubao-Moín".
Essays
Published books
Published Posthumously
on January 19, 1985. The government named a high school in Ciales after Corretjer thereby honoring him.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
Early years
Corretjer was born in Ciales, Puerto RicoCiales, Puerto Rico
Ciales is a municipality of Puerto Rico, located on the Central Mountain Range, northwest of Orocovis; south of Florida and Manatí; east of Utuado and Jayuya; and west of Morovis. Ciales is spread over eight wards and Ciales Pueblo...
, into a politically active pro-independence family. His parents were Diego Corretjer Hernández and María Brígida Montes González. His father and uncles were involved in the "Ciales Uprising" of August 13, 1898, against the United States occupation. As a lad, he would often accompany his father and uncles to political rallies. He received his primary and secondary education in his hometown. In 1920, when he was only 12 years old, Corretjer wrote his first poem "Canto a Ciales" (I sing to Ciales). In 1924, Corretjer published his first booklet of poems.
Corretjer joined the "Literary Society of Jose Gautier Benitez
José Gautier Benítez
José Gautier Benítez is considered Puerto Rico's best poet of the Romantic Era.-Early years:Gautier Benítez was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico to Rodulfo Gautier and the renowned Puerto Rican poet, Alejandrina Benitez de Gautier. His great-aunt, Maria Bibiana Benitez, was also a renowned Puerto Rican...
", which later would be renamed the "Nationalist Youth", while he was still in elementary school. When he was in 8th grade, he organized a student protest against the United States in his town. He was expelled from his local high school for organizing a strike to have it renamed for José de Diego
José de Diego
José de Diego y Martínez , known as "The Father of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement", was a statesman, journalist, poet, lawyer, and advocate for Puerto Rico's independence from Spain and from the United States....
. Corretjer was then sent to school in the town of Vega Baja
Vega Baja, Puerto Rico
Vega Baja is a municipality in north central Puerto Rico located in the northern coast, north of Morovis; east of Manatí; and west of Vega Alta. Vega Baja is spread over 13 wards and Vega Baja Pueblo...
.
Nationalist youth
In 1927, he moved to San Juan and worked as a journalist for the newspaper "La Democracia". He later moved to the city of PoncePonce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
where he published his first two books of poetry: "Agüeybaná" (1932) and "Ulises" (1933). Throughout his life, he wrote for various newspapers and publications in Puerto Rico, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and the United States.
In 1935, Corretjer travelled to Cuba and joined an anti-Batista
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
group whose aim was to overthrow the U.S.-backed Cuban dictator
Dictator
A dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power but without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...
. He also traveled to Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
and to the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
looking for international support for Puerto Rico's independence movement. In 1936, Corretjer met and became friends with the nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos
Pedro Albizu Campos
Don Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican politician and one of the leading figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the leader and president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death...
. He was named Secretary General of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican independence and he...
soon after. Corretjer, Campos and fellow poet Clemente Soto Vélez
Clemente Soto Vélez
Clemente Soto Vélez was a Puerto Rican nationalist, poet, journalist and activist who mentored many generations of artists in Puerto Rico and New York City...
were arrested. Corretjer was sent to "La Princesa" prison for one year in 1937, because he refused to hand over to the American authorities the Book of Acts of the Nationalists Party, as result of his political beliefs. Later that year, Campos and Corretjer were accused of "Conspiring against the Government of the United States in Puerto Rico" and even though a local jury found them innocent, the ruling was overturned and later they were found guilty and sent to the US Federal prison at Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
On October 30, 1950, the Nationalists staged uprisings in the towns of Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
, Mayagüez
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
, Naranjito
Naranjito, Puerto Rico
Naranjito is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central region of the island, south of Toa Alta; north of Barranquitas and Comerío; east of Corozal; and west of Bayamón. Naranjito is spread over 15 wards and Naranjito Pueblo...
, Arecibo
Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Arecibo is a municipality in the northern midwest coast of Puerto Rico and located by the Atlantic Ocean, north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta, and Florida. Arecibo is spread over 18 wards and Arecibo Pueblo...
, Utuado
Utuado, Puerto Rico
Utuado is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central-western mountainous region of the island known as La Cordillera Central. It is located north of Adjuntas and Ponce; south of Hatillo and Arecibo; east of Lares; and west of Ciales and Jayuya. In land area it is the third-largest...
(Utuado Uprising
Utuado Uprising
The Utuado Uprising, also known as the Utuado Revolt or El Grito de Utuado, refers to the revolt against the United States government in Puerto Rico which occurred on October 30, 1950 in various localities in Puerto Rico and which in Utuado culminated in the "Utuado massacre".-Events leading to the...
), San Juan (Nationalist attack of San Juan
Nationalist attack of San Juan
The Nationalist attack of San Juan was one of many uprisings against United States Government rule which occurred in Puerto Rico on October 30, 1950 during the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party revolts...
), and Jayuya
Jayuya, Puerto Rico
Jayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...
(Jayuya Uprising
Jayuya Uprising
The Jayuya Uprising, also known as the Jayuya Revolt or El Grito de Jayuya, refers to a nationalist revolt in the town of Jayuya, Puerto Rico which occurred on October 30, 1950...
). Corretjer was among the many nationalists arrested.
Literary style and themes
The themes and inspiration for his poems and essays were devoted to his defense of his native land. Corretjer's epic poem "Alabanza en la Torre de Ciales" (Praise in the tower of Ciales) (1953), is considered one of the representative works of the "neocriollismo" movement and has had a strong influence on many later poets. In Corretjer's poetry the TainoTaíno people
The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America...
is no longer an idealized figure but allegory of revolutionary legacy. In the prologue of "Yerba bruja", Corretjer states it was not his intent to "dig up a mummy" but to bring to light "the splendor of the indigenous imagination that lives on in our own."
His poetry spans several decades and transcended any particular literary movement. The Puerto Rican Athenaeum
Puerto Rican Athenaeum
The Puerto Rican Athenaeum —or Ateneo Puertorriqueño in Spanish— is one of Puerto Rico's chief cultural institutions. It was founded in 1876.The Athenaeum serves as a museum, school, library, and performance hall for the greater Puerto Rico...
awarded him the honorary title of Puerto Rico National Poet.
Selected list of works
Poetry- "Agueybana" (1932),
- "Amor a Puerto Rico" (1937) (Love of Puerto Rico),
- "Cantico de Guerra" (1937) (Song of War),
- "El Leñero" (1944) (Timberman),
- "Tierra Nativa" (1951) (Native Land),
- "Yerba Bruja" (1957) (Bewitched Grass)
Puerto Rican musician Roy Brown Ramírez set many of Corretjer's poems to music, particularly "En la vida todo es ir" (later versioned by artists such as Joan Manuel Serrat
Joan Manuel Serrat
Joan Manuel Serrat i Teresa is a Catalan Spanish singer-songwriter.Serrat is considered one of the most important figures of modern, popular music in both the Spanish and Catalan languages...
, Mercedes Sosa
Mercedes Sosa
Haydée Mercedes Sosa, known as La Negra, was an Argentine singer who was popular throughout South America and some countries outside the continent. With her roots in Argentine folk music, Sosa became one of the preeminent exponents of nueva canción. She gave voice to songs written by both...
, Antonio Cabán Vale
Antonio Cabán Vale
Antonio Cabán Vale a.k.a. "El Topo" , is a guitarist, singer and composer of Puerto Rican folklore themes. He is one of the founders of the "new song" movement of the early 1970s...
, Haciendo Punto en Otro Son
Haciendo Punto en Otro Son
Haciendo Punto en Otro Son is a Nueva Trova band from Puerto Rico, founded in 1975. They recorded fourteen albums and performed in Latin America, the Caribbean and USA....
, Fiel A La Vega
Fiel a la Vega
Fiel a la Vega is a Rock en Español band from Puerto Rico formed in 1994. Band members Tito Auger and Ricky Laureano come from the northern city of Vega Alta, while brothers Pedro Arraiza and Jorge Arraiza come from the city of Vega Baja, which is next to Vega Alta.-Early years :Childhood friends...
, Lucecita Benítez
Lucecita Benítez
Luz Esther Benítez , better known in the music world as Lucecita, is a Puerto Rican singer.-Biography:Lucecita was a member of what is historically known in Puerto Rico as the New Wave, or Nueva Ola of popular music, created by Alfred D. Herger, alongside Lissette and Chucho Avellanet, among others...
and others), "Sal a caminar", "Diana de Guilarte" and "Oubao-Moín".
Essays
- "Llorens"
- "Juicio Historico" (Historic Trial)
- "La Revolucion de Lares" (The Revolution of LaresGrito de LaresEl Grito de Lares —also referred as the Lares uprising, the Lares revolt, Lares rebellion or even Lares Revolution—was the first major revolt against Spanish rule and call for independence in Puerto Rico...
) - "Nuestra Bandera" (Our Flag)
Published books
- "Albizu Campos and the Ponce massacre" (1965)
- "Imagen De Borinquen, IV Yerba Bruja", (1970)
- "Aguinaldo escarlata", (1974)
- "Aguinaldo escarlata", (1974)
- "Prisionero 70495", 1976
- "Pausa Para El Amor", (1976)
- "La lucha por la independencia de Puerto Rico", (1977)
- "Obra Poetica"
- "Paso a Venezuela", (1977)
- "El Cumplido", (1979)
- "Los dias de conta dos", (1984)
Published Posthumously
- "Alabanzas: Antologia", (2000)
- "Yerba bruja", (1992)
Legacy
The "Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña" (The Institute of Puerto Rican Culture) published a collection of his poems in 1976. Corretjer died in San Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
on January 19, 1985. The government named a high school in Ciales after Corretjer thereby honoring him.
See also
- Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950sPuerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950sThe Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s was a call for independence and uprising by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party against United States Government rule of Puerto Rico and against the approval of the creation of the political status "Free Associated State" for Puerto Rico which...
- List of Puerto Rican writers
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Rican literature