Pedro Henríquez Ureña
Encyclopedia
Pedro Henríquez Ureña was a Dominican intellectual, essayist, philosopher, humanist, philologist and literary critic.
, the third of four siblings. Henríquez's father was Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal
, a doctor and politician who was also an intellectual that maintained permanent contact with the most important representatives of the Hispanic Modernism movements from the early 1900s. Henríquez Carvajal would become president of the Republic for a brief period in 1916, before the American occupation. His mother was the eminent poet and feminist Salomé Ureña
. Both played a key role in Pedro's formation and education.
The young Pedro traveled to Mexico
in 1906, where he lived until 1913. About these times he wrote in Hours of study. In these years he also wrote about philosophical criticism, specially the seriousness of the thought. Here he made his criticism of positivismo, being one of first in the Hispanic America, in his articles "El positivismo de Comte" and "El positivismo independiente".
In 1914, in Cuba
, he defined what according to him must be a good critic: a flexible scholar who knows how to adopt any point of view. But mainly he must know the spirit of the time and the country he is studying. The critic will always be tributary of the values of the society to which he belongs and thus must fight against them. He obtains his flexibility, sometimes without proposing to it.
, living in Washington
and New York
. In this last year he joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota
where he taught until 1921.
No doubt his travels influenced his work and his thinking. His humanism and Americanism that is, his firm defense of Hispanic-American cultural values made him write a final lecture for the
Club of International Relations of the University of Minnesota about the "intervencionist policy of the United States in all the Caribbean", since his own nation had been invaded in 1916.
In 1921 he traveled to Mexico where his americanismo would acquire a new vigor. Influenced by this atmosphere of enthusiasm towards the culture, he wrote his famous article "The utopia of America".
In 1923 he married Isabel Lombardo Toledano, sister of the famous union leader Vicente Lombardo Toledano
. The two had a daughter, Natacha, the following year.
He went to La Plata
in Argentina
to continue with the study of literature to explain la expresión americana, to try to reach a language that would clarify the fundamental object of its investigation, the American continent. America is for Henríquez Ureña somewhat similar to a text that must be explained and nothing better for the interpretation of that text that the study of the totality of its language. The language is the system par excellence, since through it we registered and we organized our perceptions of the outer world. For that reason the differences of the American Spanish, not only took us to the knowledge to a phonetic study of the region but of the geographic area that each dialectal zone describes. Henríquez Ureña dedicated his research more directly towards linguistics when in 1930 he moved to Buenos Aires
, to exert the position of Secretary in the Institute of Philology directed by Amado Alonso.
For Henríquez Ureña, linguistics was a form to analyze in a scientific way the power of the American word, its wealth and its evolution through time. He sustained that language was one of the main instruments that would give rise to a social transformation in the America of the future.
He died at Buenos Aires in 1946, after suffering a heart attack while running to catch a train. He had been carrying a heavy satchel full of books and papers.
Early works
Pedro Henríquez Ureña was born in Santo DomingoSanto Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
, the third of four siblings. Henríquez's father was Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal
Francisco Henríquez y Carvajal
Francisco Hilario Henríquez y Carvajal was a doctor, lawyer, writer, educator and politician from the Dominican Republic. He served as President in 1916. He married Salomé Ureña. He had 4 children, Pedro, Francisco, Max, and Camila....
, a doctor and politician who was also an intellectual that maintained permanent contact with the most important representatives of the Hispanic Modernism movements from the early 1900s. Henríquez Carvajal would become president of the Republic for a brief period in 1916, before the American occupation. His mother was the eminent poet and feminist Salomé Ureña
Salomé Ureña
Salomé Ureña de Henríquez better known as Salomé Ureña, was a revered poet and pedagogist of the Dominican Republic. Born in Santo Domingo in 1850, she was one of the central figures of lyrical poetry of the 19th century and an innovator of the feminine education in her country.-Biography:Ureña...
. Both played a key role in Pedro's formation and education.
The young Pedro traveled to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1906, where he lived until 1913. About these times he wrote in Hours of study. In these years he also wrote about philosophical criticism, specially the seriousness of the thought. Here he made his criticism of positivismo, being one of first in the Hispanic America, in his articles "El positivismo de Comte" and "El positivismo independiente".
In 1914, in 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...
, he defined what according to him must be a good critic: a flexible scholar who knows how to adopt any point of view. But mainly he must know the spirit of the time and the country he is studying. The critic will always be tributary of the values of the society to which he belongs and thus must fight against them. He obtains his flexibility, sometimes without proposing to it.
Maturity
Between 1915 and 1916 Henríquez Ureña worked as a journalist in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, living in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and New York
New 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 this last year he joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
where he taught until 1921.
No doubt his travels influenced his work and his thinking. His humanism and Americanism that is, his firm defense of Hispanic-American cultural values made him write a final lecture for the
Club of International Relations of the University of Minnesota about the "intervencionist policy of the United States in all the Caribbean", since his own nation had been invaded in 1916.
In 1921 he traveled to Mexico where his americanismo would acquire a new vigor. Influenced by this atmosphere of enthusiasm towards the culture, he wrote his famous article "The utopia of America".
In 1923 he married Isabel Lombardo Toledano, sister of the famous union leader Vicente Lombardo Toledano
Vicente Lombardo Toledano
Vicente Lombardo Toledano was one of the foremost Mexican labor leaders of the 20th century. He founded the Confederation of Mexican Workers , the national labor federation most closely associated with the ruling party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party , for most of the last sixty-five years...
. The two had a daughter, Natacha, the following year.
He went to La Plata
La Plata
La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the , the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants....
in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
to continue with the study of literature to explain la expresión americana, to try to reach a language that would clarify the fundamental object of its investigation, the American continent. America is for Henríquez Ureña somewhat similar to a text that must be explained and nothing better for the interpretation of that text that the study of the totality of its language. The language is the system par excellence, since through it we registered and we organized our perceptions of the outer world. For that reason the differences of the American Spanish, not only took us to the knowledge to a phonetic study of the region but of the geographic area that each dialectal zone describes. Henríquez Ureña dedicated his research more directly towards linguistics when in 1930 he moved to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, to exert the position of Secretary in the Institute of Philology directed by Amado Alonso.
For Henríquez Ureña, linguistics was a form to analyze in a scientific way the power of the American word, its wealth and its evolution through time. He sustained that language was one of the main instruments that would give rise to a social transformation in the America of the future.
He died at Buenos Aires in 1946, after suffering a heart attack while running to catch a train. He had been carrying a heavy satchel full of books and papers.
Major works
- Horas de estudio (1910)
- Nacimiento de Dionisios (1916)
- En la orilla: mi España (1922)
- La utopía de América (1925)
- Seis ensayos en busca de nuestra expresión (1928)
- La cultura y las letras coloniales en Santo Domingo (1936)
- Corrientes Literarias en la América Hispana (1945)