List of Puerto Rican writers
Encyclopedia
This is a list of Puerto Rican literary figures, including poet
s, novelists, short story authors
, and playwright
s. It includes people who were born in Puerto Rico, people who are of Puerto Rican ancestry, and many long-term residents and/or immigrants who have made Puerto Rico their home, and who are recognized for their literary work. New entries must be placed in alphabetical order and follow the formatting for the list.
[Carlos Manuel Rivera, "Carboinael Rixema"] (poet, essayist, and playwright)
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...
s, novelists, short story authors
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
, and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
s. It includes people who were born in Puerto Rico, people who are of Puerto Rican ancestry, and many long-term residents and/or immigrants who have made Puerto Rico their home, and who are recognized for their literary work. New entries must be placed in alphabetical order and follow the formatting for the list.
A–C
- Manuel Abreu Adorno (1955–1984)
- Rafael Acevedo (1960-), poet, playwright, fiction writer
- Aravind Enrique AdyanthayaAravind Enrique AdyanthayaAravind Enrique Adyanthaya is a Puerto Rican writer, performer, and theater director. He is the founding artistic director of Casa Cruz de la Luna, an experimental theater company and cultural center based in an old house in the historical district of San Germán, Puerto Rico...
, playwright, fiction writer - Moisés Agosto, poet, short story author
- Alfredo M. AguayoAlfredo M. AguayoAlfredo M. Aguayo was a Puerto Rican educator and writer. He studied and lived in Cuba, and was a professor at the University of Havana. His teachings and his written works molded several generations of Cubans.-Early years:...
- Jack AgüerosJack AgüerosJack Agüeros is a community activist, poet, writer, and translator. From 1977 to 1986 was the director of the Museo del Barrio in New York City....
- Miguel AlgarínMiguel AlgarínMiguel Algarín , is a Puerto Rican poet, writer, co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café, and retired Rutgers University professor of English.-Early years:...
- Manuel A. AlonsoManuel A. AlonsoDr. Manuel A. Alonso was a writer, poet and journalist. He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican writer of notable importance.-Early years:...
- Pedro Amador Lloréns
- César Andreu IglesiasCésar Andreu IglesiasCésar Andreu Iglesias was a Puerto Rican journalist, novelist, and short-story writer. He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on July 31, 1915.-Independentista activities:...
- Delma S. ArrigoitiaDelma S. ArrigoitiaDr. Delma S. Arrigoitia, PhD, J.D., is a historian, author, educator and lawyer whose written works cover the life and works of some of Puerto Rico's most prominent politicians of the early 20th century. Arrigoitia was also the first person in the University of Puerto Rico to earn a Masters Degree...
- Maria ArrillagaMaria ArrillagaMaría Arrillaga is a Puerto Rican poet who has been a professor at the University of Puerto Rico. She taught in the Spanish department on the Rio Piedras campus. She is a member of PEN's women's committee and a past secretary. She is the author of several collections of poetry...
- Rane ArroyoRane ArroyoRane Ramón Arroyo was an American poet, playwright, and scholar of Puerto Rican descent who wrote numerous books and received many literary awards. He was a professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Toledo in Ohio. His work deals extensively with issues of immigration, Latino...
- Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro
- María Teresa Babín CortésMaría Teresa Babín CortésMaría Teresa Babín Cortés was a Puerto Rican educator, literary critic, and essayist. She also wrote poetry and plays...
- Vicente Balbás CapóVicente Balbás CapóVicente Balbás Capó was a prominent Puerto Rican journalist and political figure. He was a defender of the Spanish regime in Puerto Rico, and during the Spanish-American War he organized a volunteer battalion and was imprisoned for his opposition to Puerto Ricans serving in the United States armed...
- Lefty (Manuel) Barreto, novelist, author of autobiography Nobody's Hero (1977)
- Emilio S. Belaval
- Pura BelpréPura BelpréPura Belpré was the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City. She was also a writer, collector of folktales, and puppeteer. There is some dispute as to the date of her birth which has been given as February 2, 1899, December 2, 1901 and February 2, 1903.- Education :She was born in Cidra,...
- Alejandrina Benítez de GautierAlejandrina Benitez de GautierAlejandrina Benítez de GautierThis name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the maiden family name "Benítez" and the second or matrimonial family name is "Gautier". is considered by many to be one of Puerto Rico's greatest poets.-Early years:Benítez de Gautier, born in Mayagüez,...
- María Bibiana BenítezMaría Bibiana BenítezMaría Bibiana Benítez , was Puerto Rico's first known female poet and one of its first playwrights.-Early years:...
- Dario Rilke Beniquez, poet
- Tomás Blanco
- Giannina BraschiGiannina BraschiGiannina Braschi is a Puerto Rican writer. She is credited with writing the first Spanglish novel YO-YO BOING! and the poetry trilogy Empire of Dreams , which chronicles the Latin American immigrant's experiences in the United States...
- Julia de BurgosJulia de BurgosJulia Constancia Burgos García is considered by many as the greatest poet to have been born in Puerto Rico, and along with Gabriela Mistral, is considered as one of the greatest female poets of Latin America...
- Enzo Bravo, fiction writer, author of Tropicargo, The Flight of the Twin Beech Driver (2009)
- Pedro Cabiya, fiction writer
- Mayra CalvaniMayra Calvani-Early years:Calvani was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico the Capital of Puerto Rico, where she received her primary and secondary education. She started writing stories when she was eleven years old. Calvani attended a Catholic convent school, where she tended to be shy. The stories she...
- Zenobia CamprubíZenobia CamprubíZenobia Camprubí Aymar was a Spanish-born writer and poet; she was also a noted translator of the works of Rabindranath Tagore....
- Nemesio CanalesNemesio CanalesNemesio R. Canales was a Puerto Rican essayist, journalist, novelist, playwright, politician and activist who defended women's civil rights...
- Luisa CapetilloLuisa CapetilloLuisa Capetillo was one of Puerto Rico's most famous labor organizers. She was also a writer and an anarchist who fought for workers and women's rights.-Early years:...
- Jaime Carrero, poet and playwright
- N. Humberto Cintrón, novelist, author of Frankie Christo (1972)
- Jesús ColónJesús ColónJesús Colón was a Puerto Rican writer known as the Father of the Nuyorican Movement.-Early years:Colón was born in Cayey, Puerto Rico after the Spanish-American War when the American Tobacco Company gained control of most of the tobacco producing land in Puerto Rico. His father was a baker and his...
- Joaquín Colón (1896–1964), author of Pioneros puertorriqueños en Nueva York
- anuel Corchado y Juarbe, poet, journalist and politician
- Juan Antonio CorretjerJuan Antonio CorretjerJuan Antonio Corretjer Montes , was a poet, journalist and pro-independence political activist opposing United States rule in Puerto Rico.-Early years:...
- Zoé Corretjer Lloréns
- Lydia Cortes (1942-), poet, fiction writer, educator
- Nicky CruzNicky CruzNicky Cruz is a Christian evangelist, the founder of Nicky Cruz Outreach, an evangelistic Christian ministry. He was also once the director of Teen Challenge, serving under David Wilkerson before founding another ministry home himself in California...
- Isabel Cuchí CollIsabel Cuchí CollIsabel Cuchí Coll was a journalist, author and the Director of the "Sociedad de Autores Puertorriqueño"...
, journalist and author
Cuchi Coll was the granddaughter of Dr. Cayetano Coll y TosteCayetano Coll y TosteDr. Cayetano Coll y Toste , was a Puerto Rican historian and writer. He was the patriach of a prominent family of Puerto Rican, educators, politicians and writers.-Early years:...
and niece of José Coll y CuchíJosé Coll y CuchíJosé Coll y Cuchi was a lawyer, writer and the founder of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. He was a member of a prominent Puerto Rican family of politicians, educators and writers See: "Notable family members" section .-Early years:Coll y Cuchi was born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico...
. She served as Director of the "Sociedad de Autores Puertorriqueño
D–K
- Anjelamaría Dávila, poet
- José Antonio DávilaJosé Antonio DávilaDr. José Antonio Dávila was a well-known poet during Puerto Rico's postmodern era of poetry.- Life and career :Dávila was born and raised in the City of Bayamon, Puerto Rico into a literary family...
- Virgilio DávilaVirgilio DávilaVirgilio Dávila , was a Puerto Rican poet, educator, politician and businessman. He is considered by many to be one of Puerto Rico's greatest representatives of the modern literary era.-Early years:...
- John DeJesus, screenwriter, fiction writer and poet
- Nelson Antonio DenisNelson Antonio DenisNelson Antonio Denis is a former New York politician who represented East Harlem in the New York State Assembly.-Early life:Denis was born and raised in New York City...
- Abelardo Díaz AlfaroAbelardo Díaz AlfaroAbelardo Díaz Alfaro was a Puerto Rican author who reached great fame throughout Latin America during the 1940s. Some say his actual year of birth was 1919, but officially it was always announced as 1916...
- Andrés Díaz Marrero
- Emilio Díaz Valcárcel
- José de DiegoJosé de DiegoJosé 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....
- Caridad de la LuzCaridad de la LuzCaridad De la Luz , a.k.a. "La Bruja" , is a poet, actress and activist.-Early years:De la Luz, whose parents moved to New York City from Puerto Rico, was born and raised in the South Bronx. There she also received her primary and secondary education...
"La Bruja" - Juan Duchesne Winter, essayist and fiction writer
- Judith EscalonaJudith EscalonaJudith Escalona is a filmmaker, writer, and web site producer who has founded a number of websites. She has extensive background in new media, film, television and print and is a member of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers, and of the New York New Media Association...
- Elizam EscobarElizam EscobarElizam Escobar is a Puerto Ricanpoet, author and visual artist.-Early years:Escobar was born in Puerto Rico's second largest city, Ponce, Puerto Rico, on the southern part of the island. There he received his primary and secondary education. As a child, he always enjoyed drawing and painting...
- Martín EspadaMartín EspadaMartín Espada is a Latino poet, and professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he teaches poetry. Puerto Rico has frequently been featured as a theme in his poems.- Life and career :Espada was born in Brooklyn, New York...
- Sandra María EstevesSandra María EstevesSandra María Esteves is an American poet, playwright, and graphic artist. She was born and raised in the Bronx, New York, and is one of the founders of the Nuyorican poetry movement. She has published numerous collections of poetry and has conducted literary programs at organizations including the...
- Hector FelicianoHector FelicianoDr. Hector Feliciano, PhD. is a Puerto Rican journalist and author whose book The Lost Museum: The Nazi Conspiracy to Steal the World's Greatest Works of Art has shed light on an estimated 20,000 works of art plundered by the Nazis; each one is owned by a museum or a collector somewhere.-Early...
- Carole Fernández, novelist, author of Sleep of the Innocents (1991)
- Rosario FerréRosario FerréDr. Rosario Ferré is a Puerto Rican writer, poet and essayist. Her father, Luis A. Ferré, was the third elected Governor of Puerto Rico, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party. When her mother, Lorenza Ramírez de Arellano, died in 1970...
- José Angel Figueroa, poet
- Shaggy FloresShaggy Flores"Shaggy Flores" is a Nuyorican poet, writer and African Diaspora scholar who forms part of the Nuyorical literary movement.-Early years:...
- Félix Franco-OppenheimerFélix Franco-OppenheimerFélix Franco-Oppenheimer was a Puerto Rican poet and writer. His works include Contornos, Imagen y visión edénica de Puerto Rico, and Antología poética.Franco-Oppenheimer was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1912....
, poet and writer - Ana María Fuster Lavin (1967-), editor, poet and short story writer
- Edward Gallardo, playwright; works include those collected in Simpson Street and Other Plays
- Magali García RamisMagali García Ramis-Biography:Magali García Ramis was born in 1946 in Santurce, Puerto Rico. She lived all her childhood in this borough of San Juan, with her mother, father and brothers, near her mother's family, with close relations with uncles, cousins and her maternal grandmother...
- José Gautier BenítezJosé Gautier BenítezJosé 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...
- José Antonio Giovannetti (1943-), poet, playwright, motivational and inspirational writer and speaker
- José Luis GonzálezJosé Luis González (writer)José Luis González was a Puerto Rican essayist, novelist, short story writer, university professor, and journalist who lived most of his life in exile in Mexico due to his pro-independence political views...
- Martin A. Gonzalez (1957-), novelist, author of Werewolves Among Us
- Kevin A. González-Flynn, poet, fiction writer
- Eugenio María de HostosEugenio María de HostosEugenio María de Hostos known as "El Ciudadano de América" , was a Puerto Rican educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist and independence advocate....
- David HernándezDavid Hernandez (poet)David Hernandez is an American poet and novelist. Most recently, he was awarded a 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for Poetry.-Life:...
- Victor Hernández CruzVictor Hernández CruzVictor Hernández Cruz is a Puerto Rican poet.-Life:He moved to New York in 1954. He began writing at fifteen, and published his first collections of poetry in the late 1960s....
- Quiara Alegría HudesQuiara Alegría HudesQuiara Alegría Hudes is an American playwright and author best known for writing the book for the Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights.-Personal life:...
- Adolfo Jiménez Benítez, essayist, medievalist investigator
- Adolfo Jiménez Hernández, essayist, poet, short story writer
- Zoé Jiménez CorretjerZoé Jiménez CorretjerZoé Jiménez Corretjer is an award winning author from Puerto Rico. She is a professor in the Department of Humanities, University of Puerto Rico at Humacao.-Life:...
L–Q
- Pedro Juan LabarthePedro J. LabarthePedro Juan Labarthe López de Victoria was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, essayist, and novelist.-Birth place, training and life:...
- Lawrence La Fountain-StokesLawrence La Fountain-StokesLawrence La Fountain-Stokes is a gay Puerto Rican author, scholar, and performer. He is better known as Larry La Fountain. He has received several awards for his creative writing and scholarship as well as for his work with Latino and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students...
- Enrique LaguerreEnrique LaguerreEnrique Arturo Laguerre Vélez was a Nobel literature prize nominee, teacher and critic from Moca, Puerto Rico...
- Elidio La Torre-Lagares (1965), poet, novelist, essayist, author of Vicios de construcción (2008)
- Tato LavieraTato LavieraTato Laviera is a Nuyorican poet. Born in Puerto Rico, he moved to New York City with his family in 1960.Laviera's poetry, which is written sometimes in Spanish, sometimes in English, more often in Spanglish, addresses language, cultural identity, race, and memory, particularly as it affects the...
- Georgina LázaroGeorgina LázaroGeorgina Lázaro-Leon is a Puerto Rican poet whose work is focused on children. Her children poems have been recorded by many artists, among them Tony Croatto.-Early years:...
- Muna LeeMuna Lee (writer)This article is about the Puerto Rico-based writer. For the American athlete, see Muna Lee .Muna Lee was an American author and poet who became widely known for her writings that promoted Pan-Americanism and Feminism.Born in Raymond, Mississippi, Lee began her writing career as a well-known lyric...
- Aurora Levins MoralesAurora Levins MoralesAurora Levins Morales is a Puerto Rican Jewish writer and poet. She is significant within Latina feminism as well as other social justice movements.-Early life and education:...
- José Liboy Erba (Pepe Liboy) (1964-)
- José María Lima (1934–2009), poet, philosopher, mathematician, author of La sílaba en la piel (1982)
- Vanesa Littlecrow
- Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa, Caribbean fiction writer of Daughters of the Stone
- Washington LlorénsWashington LlorénsWashington Lloréns was a Puerto Rican journalist, writer, linguist, and scholar. He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and died in San Juan...
- Luis Llorens TorresLuis Lloréns TorresLuis Llorens Torres , was a Puerto Rican poet, playwright, and politician. He was an advocate for the independence of Puerto Rico.-Early years:...
- Alfredo LopezAlfredo LopezAlfredo Jose Miguel Lopez is an activist, writer, media producer, teacher and organizer in Brooklyn, New York. He is currently a well-known Internet activist and the Co-Director of May First/People Link, a progressive Internet users' organization and the Internet's oldest progressive...
- Erika LopezErika LopezErika Lopez is an American cartoonist, novelist, and performance artist of Puerto Rican descent who has published six books and speaks openly of her bisexuality...
- Luis López NievesLuis López NievesLuis López Nieves is one of the most influential and best-selling Puerto Rican authors ever. He has won the National Literature Prize on two occasions: first, in 2000, with his book of historical short stories ; second, in 2005, with his novel . He published two other books including Seva, and ...
- Ángel LozadaAngel LozadaÁngel Luis Lozada Novalés is a Puerto Rican novelist, activist, educator and scholar.-Early life:He was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, in 1968. He has a Bachelors in Sciences from The George Washington University and a Masters in Science from Johns Hopkins University . He is a Ph. D...
- Carmen Lugo Filippi (1940-), short-story writer
- Esperanza Malavé Cintrón (1955-) poet, author of Chocolate City Latina (2005)
- Manuel Manrique, novelist, author of Island in Harlem (1966)
- Hugo MargenatHugo MargenatHugo Margenat , was a Puerto Rican poet and Puerto Rican Independence advocate. His art was committed to serving a militant nationalistic agenda...
- René MarquésRené MarquesRené Marqués was a renowned Puerto Rican short story writer and playwright.-Early years:Marqués was born, raised and educated in the city of Arecibo...
- Domingo Marrero NavarroDomingo Marrero NavarroDomingo Marrero Navarro was a Puerto Rican educator, writer, and speaker.-Early years:Reverend Professor Domingo Marrero Navarro was born in the Belgica sector of Barrio Primero, Ponce, Puerto Rico on January 11, 1909.-Training:...
- Manuel Martínez-Maldonado (1937-), physician, poet, novelist, author of poetry books La voz sostenida and La novela del medio día and of the novel Isla Verde
- Jaime Martinez TolentinoJaime Martínez TolentinoJaime Martínez Tolentino is a Puerto Rican writer.- Early life and education:At the age of four, Martinez Tolentino contracted polio, which has left him crippled....
, short story writer, novelist, playwright. - Antonio MartorellAntonio MartorellAntonio Martorell is a well known Puerto Rican painter, graphic artist, writer and radio and television personality. He regularly exhibits in Puerto Rico and the United States and participates in arts events around the globe.-Life:...
- Julio Marzán, poet
- Nemir Matos-CintrónNemir Matos-CintrónNemir Matos-Cintrón is a Puerto Rican author who currently resides in Florida. She has published several books of poetry and parts of a novel. She has openly thematized her lesbianism in much of her work.-Life:...
- Francisco Marrero Miranda (1947-), poet, author of Antología poética (1996) and La patria en versos (1999)
- Francisco Matos PaoliFrancisco Matos PaoliFrancisco Matos Paoli March 9, 1915 - July 10, 2000), was a poet, critic, and essayist who in 1977 was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Paoli was also a Secretary General of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and a renowned Puerto Rican patriot...
- Joserramón Melendes (1952-), poet
- Concha MeléndezConcha MeléndezDr. Concha Meléndez was an educator, poet, and writer.-Early years:Meléndez was born and raised in Caguas, Puerto Rico, where she received her primary and secondary education...
- Jesús Papoleto Meléndez, poet
- Nancy MercadoNancy MercadoNancy Mercado is a poet, editor and educator whose work focuses on environmental issues, on various kinds of injustice and on the Puerto Rican and Latino experience in the United States...
, poet, playwright - Manuel Méndez BallesterManuel Méndez BallesterManuel Méndez Ballester , born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, was a well-known writer who worked in journalism, radio broadcasting, television and teaching.- Life and career :...
- Carmen Mirabal, journalist, novelist, playwright
- Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Rubén A. Moreira Vidal
- Iris Miranda, writer, author of Noches de luna emblesos y melismas (2007) and Alcoba Roja' (2011)
- Luis Muñoz MarínLuis Muñoz MarínDon José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...
- Carmen de Monteflores, novelist, author of Singing Softly/Cantando bajito (1989)
- Joel Morales-Rolón, writer
- Nicholasa MohrNicholasa MohrNicholasa Mohr is one of the best known Nuyorican writers. Her works tell of growing up in the Puerto Rican communities of the Bronx and El Barrio and of the difficulties Puerto Rican women face in the United States.- Life and career :...
- Rosario Morales, poet, co-author of Getting Home Alive (1986)
- Carmen Alicia Morales Castro, (1945-), poet, historian,playwright, short story writer, essayist.
- Ricardo Nazario y ColónRicardo Nazario y ColónRicardo Nazario y Colón is a Puerto Rican Poet, Artist, Higher Education Administrator, Author, Language teacher, and former United States Marine.-Life:...
, (1967 -), Poet, Social Justice Advocate, co-founder of the Affrilachian Poets - Frances Negrón-MuntanerFrances Negrón-MuntanerFrances Negrón-Muntaner is an award-winning Puerto Rican filmmaker, writer, and scholar. Her work spans several fields, including cinema, literature, cultural criticism, and politics. She is an associate professor of English and Comparative Literature and Director of the Center for the Study of...
- Mercedes Negrón MuñozMercedes Negrón MuñozMercedes Negrón Muñoz a.k.a. "Clara Lair" , was an influential poet whose work dealt with the everyday struggles of the common Puerto Rican.-Early years:...
- Myrna Nieves, Ph.D. (1950-), poet, essayist, memorist, literary critic
- Linda Nieves-Powell, playwright, Yo Soy Latina!, Jose Can Speak, author of the novel Free Style
- Olga NollaOlga NollaOlga Nolla was a Puerto Rican poet, writer, journalist and professor.-Early life:...
- Edgardo Núñez Caballero, poet, fiction writer
- Judith Ortiz CoferJudith Ortiz CoferJudith Ortiz Cofer is a Puerto Rican author. Her work spans a range of literary genres including poetry, short stories, autobiography, essays, and Young-adult fiction.-Early years:...
- Micol OstowMicol OstowMicol Ostow is an American author, editor and educator who has written more than 40 published works. Her first original hardcover novel, "Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa", was named a "New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age"...
- Dr. José Gualberto PadillaJosé Gualberto PadillaDr. José Gualberto Padilla , also known as "El Caribe", was a poet, physician, journalist, politician and an advocate for Puerto Rico's independence...
a.k.a. "El Caribe" poet - Luis Palés MatosLuis Palés MatosLuis Palés Matos was a Puerto Rican poet who is credited with creating the poetry genre known as Afro-Antillano.-Early years:...
- Emilio J. PasarellEmilio J. PasarellEmilio J. Pasarell was a Puerto Rican short-story writer, novelist, and essayist. He was also an accomplished historian.-Origin:...
- Benito Pastoriza IyodoBenito Pastoriza IyodoBenito Pastoriza Iyodo is a Puerto Rican author of poetry, fiction and literary articles. He is known for the daring topics of his literary creations, which are both lyrical and thought provoking. He writes primarily in Spanish...
- Willie PerdomoWillie Perdomo-Overview:Willie Perdomo is a prize-winning Nuyorican poet and children's book author. He is the author of Where a Nickel Costs a Dime , Postcards of El Barrio , and Smoking Lovely , which received a PEN American Center Beyond Margins Award...
- Pedro PietriPedro PietriPedro Pietri , was a Nuyorican poet and playwright who co-founded the Nuyorican Poets Café. He was the poet laureate of the Nuyorican Movement.-Early years :...
- Miguel PiñeroMiguel PiñeroMiguel Piñero was a Puerto Rican playwright, actor, and co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café. He was a leading member of the Nuyorican literary movement.-Early years:...
- Antonio S. PedreiraAntonio S. PedreiraDr. Antonio S. Pedreira , was a renowned Puerto Rican author and educator.-Early years:Pedreira was born into a well-to-do family in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. He became interested in the art of writing stories as a child during his primary and secondary school years...
- George PérezGeorge PérezGeorge Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...
- Carmen M. PursifullCarmen M. PursifullCarmen M. Pursifull is a former New York City Latin dance and Latin American music figure of the 1950s, and since 1970 in Illinois, is an English-language free verse poet who was a top ten finalist nominee for Poet Laureate of that state in 2003...
- Juan Carlos Quiñones (1972-)
R–Z
- Ray Ramirez (1970 -), poet, emcee, founder of the socio-political Hip Hop fusion band, "The Welfare Poets" while up at Cornell University in 1990 along with Hector Luis Rivera
- Manuel Ramos OteroManuel Ramos OteroManuel Ramos Otero was a Puerto Rican writer. He is widely considered to be the most important openly gay twentieth-century Puerto Rican writer who wrote in Spanish, and his work was often controversial due to its sexual and political content...
- Roberto Ramos Perea (1958-), poet, playwright, journalist
- Guillermo Rebollo-Gil, poet
- Luis Rechani AgraitLuis Rechani AgraitLuis Rechani Agrait was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and playwright.After schooling in Aguas Buenas and Río Piedras, Rechani Agrait moved to the USA to study Natural Sciences at Harvard and Richmond...
- Evaristo Ribera ChevremontEvaristo Ribera ChevremontEvaristo Ribera Chevremont is considered by many the most lyrical poet from Puerto Rico. Although several of his published books deal with Puerto Rican nationality and regionalism, the majority of his verses are liberated from folkloric subject matter and excel in universal lyricism.-Literary...
- Marie Teresa RiosMarie Teresa RiosMarie Teresa Ríos, also Marie Teresa Ríos Versace, was the Puerto Rican - American author of a book which was the basis for the 1960s television sitcom, The Flying Nun. Ríos was the mother of Humbert Roque Versace, the first U.S...
- Rubén Ríos Avila, essayist
- Carmen Rivera (1964-), playwright, co-author (with Cándido Tirado) of Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz
- Edward Rivera, novelist, author of Family Installments: Memories of Growing Up Hispanic (1983)
[Carlos Manuel Rivera, "Carboinael Rixema"] (poet, essayist, and playwright)
- José RiveraJosé Rivera (playwright)José Rivera is a playwright and the first Puerto Rican screenwriter to be nominated for an Oscar.-Early years:Rivera was born in the Santurce section of San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1955. He was raised in Arecibo where he lived until 1959. Rivera's family migrated from Puerto Rico when he was 4 years...
- José Rivera González, poet, author of Solidario y solitario (ICPR, 1999), Sublimación: cantos de luz cerrada (Madrid), La mística inmanente (Madrid), French poems awarded by PORTOPROF.
- Oswaldo Rivera, novelist, author of Fire and Rain (1990)
- Abraham Rodríguez, Jr., short story author; works include Ashes to Ashes (1989), Boy Without a Flag, Spidertown, The Buddha Book, South by South Bronx
- Leonardo Rodríguez, short story author; works include They Have to Be Puerto Ricans (1988)
- Lola Rodríguez de TióLola Rodríguez de TioLola Rodríguez de TióThis name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the maiden family name " Rodríguez" and the second or matrimonial family name is "Tió"., , was the first Puerto Rican born poetess to establish herself a reputation as a great poet throughout all of Latin America...
- Edgardo Rodríguez JuliáEdgardo Rodríguez JuliáEdgardo Rodríguez Juliá is a Puerto Rican essayist and novelist.- Bibliography :* La renuncia del héroe Baltasar...
- Francisco Rojas TollinchiFrancisco Rojas TollinchiFrancisco Rojas Tollinchi , was a Puerto Rican poet, civic leader and journalist.-Early years:Rojas Tollinchi was one of five siblings born to Pedro Rojas Perez and Flora Maria Tollinchi Battistini in the barrio Algarrobos in Yauco, Puerto Rico...
- Richard RuízRichard RuízRichard Ruíz is a Mexican footballer.-Club Tijuana:In 2009, Ruíz started playing for the Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles De Caliente. In 2010 he helped Tijuana obtain the Apertura 2010 champions. Then on May 21, 2011, his team advanced to the Primera División.-Titles:-References:...
, novelist, author of The Hungry American (1978) - Luis Rafael SánchezLuis Rafael SanchezDr. Luis Rafael Sánchez a.k.a. "Wico" is a Puerto Rican playwright. Possibly his best known play is La Pasión según Antigona Pérez , a tragedy based on the life of Olga Viscal Garriga-Early years:...
- José (Joe) Sánchez PicónJoe SánchezJoe Sánchez , is a former New York City police officer and author who published books about corruption within the New York City Police Department, or NYPD. Upon exposing the illegal acts committed by some high-ranking NYPD officers, Sánchez was arrested on the basis of false allegations which were...
- Manuel San Miguel Griffo, poet, historian of Spanish colonial fortifications
- Manuel San Miguel Nazario, poet
- Esmeralda SantiagoEsmeralda SantiagoEsmeralda Santiago is a Puerto Rican author and former actress known for her novels and memoirs.-Early life:Santiago was born on 17 May 1948 in the San Juan district of Villa Palmeras, Santurce, Puerto Rico. In 1961, she came to the continental United States when she was thirteen years old, the...
- José E. Santos, poet, novelist and short story writer and essayist.
- Mayra Santos-FebresMayra Santos-FebresMayra Santos-Febres is a Puerto Rican author, poet, novelist, professor of literature, and literary critic who has garnered fame at home and abroad....
- Iván Segarra Báez
- Wenceslao Serra Deliz
- Pedro Juan SotoPedro Juan SotoPedro Juan Soto was a Puerto Rican writer.-Early life:Pedro Juan Soto was born in Cataño, Puerto Rico, and went to primary and secondary school in Bayamón. At the age of eighteen, he moved to New York and attended Long Island University...
- Clemente Soto VélezClemente Soto VélezClemente Soto Vélez was a Puerto Rican nationalist, poet, journalist and activist who mentored many generations of artists in Puerto Rico and New York City...
- Clementina Souchet, novelist, author of Clementina: Historia sin fin (1986)
- Alejandro Tapia y RiveraAlejandro Tapia y RiveraAlejandro Tapia y Rivera was a Puerto Rican poet, dramaturg, essayist and writer. Tapia is considered to be the father of Puerto Rican literature and as the person who has contributed the most to the cultural advancement of Puerto Rico's literature...
- Piri ThomasPiri ThomasPiri Thomas was a writer and poet whose autobiography Down These Mean Streets became a best-seller.-Early years:...
- Cándido Tirado (1955-), playwright, co-author (with Carmen Rivera) of Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz
- Luis Torrado (1943-), short-story writer, author of "La Ciento Siete"
- Louis Raul Torres (1946-) Theologian, educator, musician (Bill Haley and the Comets) author of "Gaining Decisions" (2001) "Great Stories for Gaining Decisions"(2007) "Bothersome and Disturbing Bible Passages"(2009) "Left Behind or Sincerely Taken"(1996) Co-authored "Notes on Music" (1991)
- Edwin Torres (judge)Edwin Torres (judge)-Early years:Both of Torres' parents emigrated from Jayuya, Puerto Rico and settled in the barrio in Manhattan's Spanish Harlem where Torres was born. Growing up in poverty, Torres graduated from Stuyvesant High School. From there he attended City College of the City University of New York,...
- Edwin Torres (poet)Edwin Torres (poet)Edwin Torres is a "Nuyorican" poet.-Early years:Torres's parents moved from Puerto Rico and settled in the borough of The Bronx in New York City. His father died when he was young and he was then raised by his mother and her brother Martin. Martin provided comfort and family support...
- Diego de Torres VargasDiego de Torres VargasFather Diego de Torres Vargas , a priest, was the first person to write a book about the history of Puerto Rico.-Early years:Torres Vargas was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to a prosperous family...
- Luz María UmpierreLuz María UmpierreLuz María Umpierre-Herrera is a Puerto Rican poet, scholar, and human rights activist who lives in the United States. She is also known as Luzma Umpierre. She is widely recognized for her open exploration of her lesbianism, immigrant experience, and bilingualism, and for her poetic exchange with...
- Héctor VarelaHéctor Varela (Puerto Rican author)Héctor Varela is a Puerto Rican author. His main work, the novel Affinity for Trouble: A Puerto Rican Story tells the story of a boy growing up in Santurce, a central neighborhood of San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the 1940s and 1950s.- Life :...
- Charlie VázquezCharlie VázquezCharlie Vázquez is a Bronx born-and-raised, self-identified queer American artist, writer, and musician of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent. He is also the editor of Fireking Press, where he has published a novel and a book of short stories. His fiction, erotica and essays have appeared in a number...
- Iván Javier Vázquez Torres
- Mario L. Vázquez (1976-), educator, artist, short story writer, author of The Color of My Paint (2008)
- Ana Lydia VegaAna Lydia VegaAna Lydia Vega is a celebrated Puerto Rican female writer. She has received the Premio Juan Rulfo and the Premio Casa de las Américas . Vega was a professor of French literature and Caribbean studies at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras...
- Bernardo Vega, novelist, author of The Memoirs of Bernardo Vega (1977, English ed. 1984)
- Ed VegaEd VegaEdgardo Vega Yunqué was a Puerto Rican novelist and short-story writer who also used the Americanized pen name Ed Vega.- Early years :...
- José Luis VegaJosé Luis VegaJosé Luis Vega is a Puerto Rican poet and academicIn 1972, Vega founded Ventana a poetry magazine that "marked a deliberate distance from the social realist poetry that was in vogue at the time in the country, in favor of a form of writing that was more self-relfexive and intimate."Vega is...
- Irene VilarIrene VilarIrene Vilar is an editor, a literary agent and an author of several books dealing with national and generational trauma and women's reproductive rights. Born in Puerto Rico, Vilar is the granddaughter of Puerto Rican nationalist Lolita Lebrón, who participated in an assault on the United States...
- Alfredo Villanueva Collado
- William Carlos WilliamsWilliam Carlos WilliamsWilliam Carlos Williams was an American poet closely associated with modernism and Imagism. He was also a pediatrician and general practitioner of medicine, having graduated from the University of Pennsylvania...
, poet - Emanuel XavierEmanuel XavierIn 2005, Suspect Thoughts Press published Bullets & Butterflies: queer spoken word poetry, a collection Emanuel Xavier edited. The anthology featured the work of thirteen openly queer spoken word artists and new work by the editor himself including: "Legendary", "Outside" and "A Simple Poem." The...
- Iris Zavala (1936-), author, scholar, poet
- Manuel Zeno GandíaManuel Zeno GandíaDr. Manuel Zeno Gandía wrote the novel La Charca , which is considered by many to be the first Puerto Rican novel.-Early years:...
See also
- List of Latin American writers
- List of Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Rican literature
- Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States
- Before Columbus FoundationBefore Columbus FoundationThe Before Columbus Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 by Ishmael Reed, Victor Hernández Cruz, Shawn Wong and Rudolfo Anaya to be "a multi-ethnic organizing dedicated to promoting a pan-cultural view of America," especially through the promotion of multicultural writers.One of...
- Generation of the 80's
External references
- Cancel, Mario R. "Literatura y narrativa puertorriqueña: la escritura entre siglos". San Juan: Pasadizo, 2007.
- Mercedes López Baralt. "Literatura Puertorriqueña del Siglo XX". Antología. San Juan: EDUPR, 2004.
- Martínez Márquez, Alberto y Mario Cancel. "El límite volcado. Antología de la Generación de Poetas de los Ochenta". San Juan: Isla Negra, 2000.
- Moreira, Rubén Alejandro, "Antología de la poesía puertorriqueña.Vol. I Romanticismo; Vol.II Modernismo y Postmodernismo; Vol. III Contemporánea; Vol. IV Contemporánea". San Juan: Tríptico, 1992-1993.
- Ortega, Julio. "Antología de la poesía latinoamericana del siglo XXI: el turno y la transición". México: Editorial Siglo XXI, 1997.
- Marc Zimmerman, U.S. Latino Literature: An Essay and Annotated Bibliography, MARCH/Abrazo, 1992.
- Edna Acosta-Belén, "Puerto Rican Literature in the United States," in Redefining American Literary History, Ed. A. LaVonne Brown Ruoff and Jerry W. Ward, MLA, 1990.