Oscar Hijuelos
Encyclopedia
Oscar Jerome Hijuelos is an American
novel
ist. He is the first Hispanic
to win a Pulitzer Prize
for Fiction.
, in Morningside Heights, Manhattan
, to Cuba
n immigrant parents, Pascual and Magdalena (Torrens) Hijuelos, both from Holguín
, Cuba. As a young child, he suffered from acute nephritis
after a vacation trip to Cuba with his mother and brother, and was in St. Luke's Convalescent Hospital
in Greenwich, Connecticut
for almost a year and eventually recovered.
He attended the Corpus Christi School
in Morningside Heights, public schools, and later attended Bronx Community College
, Lehman College
, and Manhattan Community College
before matriculating into and studying writing at the City College of New York
(B.A., 1975; M.A. in Creative Writing, 1976) under Donald Barthelme
, Susan Sontag
, William S. Burroughs
, Frederic Tuten
, and others. Barthelme became his mentor and friend.
He then practiced various professions, including working for an advertising agency, Transportation Displays Inc.
(TDI), before taking up writing full time.
His first novel, Our House in the Last World, was published in 1983 and received the 1985 Rome Prize
, awarded by the American Academy in Rome
.
His second novel, The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
, received the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
. It was adapted for the film The Mambo Kings
in 1992 and as a Broadway
musical
in 2005.
In 2000, Hijuelos received the Hispanic Heritage Award for Literature
.
He has taught at Hofstra University
and has been affiliated with Duke University
, where he was a member of the faculty of the Department of English.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist. He is the first Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
to win a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for Fiction.
Early life and career
Hijuelos was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, in Morningside Heights, Manhattan
Morningside Heights, Manhattan
Morningside Heights is a neighborhood of the Borough of Manhattan in New York City and is chiefly known as the home of institutions such as Columbia University, Teachers College, Barnard College, the Manhattan School of Music, Bank Street College of Education, the Cathedral of Saint John the...
, to 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...
n immigrant parents, Pascual and Magdalena (Torrens) Hijuelos, both from Holguín
Holguín
Holguín is a municipality and city, the capital of the Cuban Province of Holguín. It also includes a tourist area, offering beach resorts in the outskirts of the region.-History:...
, Cuba. As a young child, he suffered from acute nephritis
Nephritis
Nephritis is inflammation of the nephrons in the kidneys. The word "nephritis" was imported from Latin, which took it from Greek: νεφρίτιδα. The word comes from the Greek νεφρός - nephro- meaning "of the kidney" and -itis meaning "inflammation"....
after a vacation trip to Cuba with his mother and brother, and was in St. Luke's Convalescent Hospital
St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center
St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, an academic affiliate of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, is a 1,076-bed, full-service community and tertiary care hospital serving New York City’s Midtown West, Upper West Side and parts of Harlem....
in Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
for almost a year and eventually recovered.
He attended the Corpus Christi School
Corpus Christi Church (New York City)
The Church of Corpus Christi is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 533-535 West 121st Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenues in the Morningside Heights section of Manhattan, New York City...
in Morningside Heights, public schools, and later attended Bronx Community College
Bronx Community College
The Bronx Community College of The City University of New York is a community college in the City University of New York system located in the University Heights neighborhood of The Bronx.- History :...
, Lehman College
Lehman College
Lehman College is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, USA. Founded in 1931 as the Bronx campus of Hunter College, the school became an independent college within the City University in 1968. The college is named after Herbert Lehman, a former New York governor,...
, and Manhattan Community College
Borough of Manhattan Community College
The Borough of Manhattan Community College is one of six two-year colleges within the City University of New York system and the only one in Manhattan. Founded in 1963, BMCC originally offered business-oriented and liberal arts degrees for those intending to enter the business world or transfer...
before matriculating into and studying writing at the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
(B.A., 1975; M.A. in Creative Writing, 1976) under Donald Barthelme
Donald Barthelme
Donald Barthelme was an American author known for his playful, postmodernist style of short fiction. Barthelme also worked as a newspaper reporter for the Houston Post, managing editor of Location magazine, director of the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston , co-founder of Fiction Donald...
, Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag was an American author, literary theorist, feminist and political activist whose works include On Photography and Against Interpretation.-Life:...
, William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
, Frederic Tuten
Frederic Tuten
Frederic Tuten is an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. He has written five novels – The Adventures of Mao on the Long March , Tallien: A Brief Romance , Tintin in the New World: A Romance , Van Gogh's Bad Café and The Green Hour – as well as one book of inter-related short...
, and others. Barthelme became his mentor and friend.
He then practiced various professions, including working for an advertising agency, Transportation Displays Inc.
CBS Outdoor
CBS Outdoor is the outdoor advertising division of media conglomerate CBS Corporation. It is the third largest outdoor media owner in revenue terms...
(TDI), before taking up writing full time.
His first novel, Our House in the Last World, was published in 1983 and received the 1985 Rome Prize
Rome Prize
The Rome Prize is an American award made annually by the American Academy in Rome, through a national competition, to 15 emerging artists and to 15 scholars The Rome Prize is an American award made annually by the American Academy in Rome, through a national competition, to 15 emerging artists...
, awarded by the American Academy in Rome
American Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome.- History :In 1893, a group of American architects, painters and sculptors met regularly while planning the fine arts section of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition...
.
His second novel, The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love is a 1989 novel by Oscar Hijuelos.It is about the lives of two Cuban brothers and musicians, Cesar and Nestor Castillo, who immigrate to the United States and settle in New York City in the early 1950s....
, received the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction has been awarded for distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life. It originated as the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, which was awarded between 1918 and 1947.-1910s:...
. It was adapted for the film The Mambo Kings
The Mambo Kings
The Mambo Kings is a 1992 drama film starring Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas. Directed by Arne Glimcher in his directorial debut, the film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos...
in 1992 and as a Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
in 2005.
In 2000, Hijuelos received the Hispanic Heritage Award for Literature
Hispanic Heritage Foundation
The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is a non-profit organization operating out of Reston, Virginia that works to increase the number of Latina and Latino leaders in society...
.
He has taught at Hofstra University
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
and has been affiliated with Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, where he was a member of the faculty of the Department of English.
Major works
- Our House in the Last World (1983)
- The Mambo Kings Play Songs of LoveThe Mambo Kings Play Songs of LoveThe Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love is a 1989 novel by Oscar Hijuelos.It is about the lives of two Cuban brothers and musicians, Cesar and Nestor Castillo, who immigrate to the United States and settle in New York City in the early 1950s....
(1989) - The Fourteen Sisters of Emilio Montez O'Brien (1993)
- Mr. Ives' Christmas (1995)
- Empress of the Splendid Season (1999)
- A Simple Habana Melody (from when the world was good) (2002)
- Dark Dude (2008)
- Beautiful Maria of my Soul (2010)
- Thoughts Without Cigarettes: A Memoir (2011)
Contributions
- Preface, Iguana Dreams: New Latino Fiction, edited by Delia Poey and Virgil Suarez. New York, HarperPerennial, 1992.
- Introduction, Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing up Latino in the United States, edited by Lori M. Carlson. New York, Holt, 1994.
- Introduction, The Cuban American Family Album by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler. New York, Oxford University Press, 1996.
- Contributor, Best of Pushcart Press III. Pushcart, 1978.
- Contributor, You're On!: Seven Plans in English and Spanish, edited by Lori M. Carlson. New York, Morrow Junior Books, 1999.
Further reading
- Smith, Dinitia, "'Sisters' Act: Oscar Hijuelos, Mr. 'Mambo Kings', Plays a Different Song of Love", New York Magazine, March 1, 1993, pp.46-51
External links
- Perales, Contreras Jaime and Lozano, Tovar Wendolyn. "Two Pulitzer Prize (Junot Diaz and Oscar Hijuelos) Talk to Literal Magazine"
- Oscar Hijuelos Papers at the Rare Book & Manuscript LibraryRare Book & Manuscript LibraryThe Columbia University's Rare Book & Manuscript Library is located on the 6th Floor of Columbia University's Butler Library. The library holds the special collections of Columbia University, as well as the Columbia University Archives. The range of the library's holdings spans more than 4,000...
at Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the... - Oscar Hijuelos's page at HarperCollinsHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
- Biography of Oscar Hijuelos from Thomson GaleThomson GaleGale is an educational publishing company based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, the United States, in the western suburbs of Detroit. It was part of the Thomson Learning division of the Thomson Corporation, a Canadian company, but became part of Cengage Learning in 2007.The company, formerly known...
- 1990 Real Audio interview with Oscar Hijuelos at Wired for Books.org by Don SwaimDon SwaimDon Swaim is an American journalist and broadcaster.Born in Kansas, Swaim earned a degree in broadcast journalism from Ohio University and worked as editor, writer, producer, reporter and anchor at WCBS in New York and CBS in Baltimore....
- "Author Oscar Hijuelos Tackles His Toughest Subject: Himself", Ray Suarez interview with Oscar Hijuelos, PBS NewsHour, Friday, June 24, 2011.