Pedro Mir
Encyclopedia
Pedro Julio Mir Valentín (3 June 1913, San Pedro de Macorís
– 11 July 2000, Santo Domingo
) was a Dominican
poet
and writer
, named Poet Laureate
of the Dominican Republic
by Congress
in 1984, and a member of the generation of "Independent poets of the 1940s" in Dominican poetry.
His father, a Cuban mechanical engineer, migrated from Cuba
to the Dominican Republic in the early years of the Twentieth Century to be hired as Chief of Engineers of the Cristóbal Colón Sugar Refinery. Soon he married a young Puerto Rican girl and had a son whom he named Pedro Julio.
Pedro Julio Mir spent his youth in the sugar refinery, which was located near the city of San Pedro de Macorís
. His mother died prematurely, in 1917, which impressed upon him a profound sense of loss which he would later consider the root of his poetical vocation.
In the early years of the 1930s, Pedro Julio Mir started writing and publishing his poems in Dominican newspapers (under the full name “Pedro Julio Mir”), as well as showing them to his friends. One of those friends, without his consent, took some verses to Juan Bosch
, a prominent Dominican writer of the time. Bosch noticed the natural poetic fiber of the young author, but dismissed the verses saying that the poet, though talented, should “turn his eyes to his country”. When Mir was informed of Bosch’s reaction, he decided then to write his first social poems and this time, he sent them to Bosch himself. Bosch made no immediate remark, however he had the verses published very soon in his column of the Listín Diario, the most important Dominican newspaper of the time. The verses appeared under the name Pedro Mir (for some reason Bosch chose to drop the "Julio" middle name) and what later became a prophecy: "Is this young man the social poet we’ve been long waiting for?"
The next years Mir kept writing and studying, obtaining a Doctor Degree in Law from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo
(UASD) State University in 1941 and starting a practice in an office of the Dominican capital, Santo Domingo. However, the pressure of the Trujillo
dictatorship became unbearable, especially for anybody with social concerns. His poems were putting him up against the regime, so after receiving threats and feeling his life in danger, he fled to Cuba in 1947. The exile would last sixteen years, until the regime fell in 1963. During the exile he traveled to many countries, but spent most of the time in Cuba.
It was while living precariously in Cuba that he wrote his famous poem "Hay un país en el mundo" (There is a country in the world). Originally published in Spanish in 1949, it has been translated to dozens of languages.
In 1952, Mir published in Guatemala his Contracanto a Walt Whitman (canto a nosotros mismos) (Countersong to Walt Whitman (Song of Ourselves)), considered one of his most accomplished works. (Its title references Whitman's "Song of Myself
".) Translated to many languages, the poem has been the subject of many studies in the United States
and other countries.
Mir returned to the Dominican Republic in 1963, during the democratic government of President Juan Bosch
. After Bosch’s government was overthrown the same year, Mir, seriously ill, traveled again for a while, though he finally settled with his family in the Dominican capital in 1968, winning the Chair of Aesthetics at the UASD.
Mir also committed himself to historical research. His essay Las raíces dominicanas de la doctrina Monroe (The Dominican Roots of the Monroe Doctrine) (1974) won the Annual History Award given by the Secretary of Education of the Dominican Republic.
In 1975, his poem El huracán Neruda (The Hurricane Neruda) also won the Annual Poetry Award given by the Secretary of Education of the Dominican Republic.
His only novel Cuando amaban las tierras comuneras (When They Loved the Communal Land) was published in Mexico
in 1978 and has been highly regarded in the Dominican Republic as well as internationally.
In 1984, the Dominican Congress named him "Poet Laureate of the Dominican Republic".
In 1991, Mir traveled to New York to receive an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters, honoris causa, from the Hunter College of the City University of New York
.
In 1993, Mir was awarded the Dominican National Literature Award for his lifetime achievements.
Pedro Mir died peacefully on 11 July 2000 surrounded by his family, after a long pulmonary illness.
San Pedro de Macorís
San Pedro de Macorís is a municipality and the capital of the San Pedro de Macorís province in the Dominican Republic.-Demographics:...
– 11 July 2000, Santo Domingo
Santo 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...
) was a Dominican
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...
poet
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...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, named Poet Laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
of 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...
by Congress
Congress of the Dominican Republic
The Congress of the Dominican Republic is the bicameral legislature of the government of the Dominican Republic, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. Both senators and deputies are chosen through direct election...
in 1984, and a member of the generation of "Independent poets of the 1940s" in Dominican poetry.
His father, a Cuban mechanical engineer, migrated from 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...
to the Dominican Republic in the early years of the Twentieth Century to be hired as Chief of Engineers of the Cristóbal Colón Sugar Refinery. Soon he married a young Puerto Rican girl and had a son whom he named Pedro Julio.
Pedro Julio Mir spent his youth in the sugar refinery, which was located near the city of San Pedro de Macorís
San Pedro de Macorís
San Pedro de Macorís is a municipality and the capital of the San Pedro de Macorís province in the Dominican Republic.-Demographics:...
. His mother died prematurely, in 1917, which impressed upon him a profound sense of loss which he would later consider the root of his poetical vocation.
In the early years of the 1930s, Pedro Julio Mir started writing and publishing his poems in Dominican newspapers (under the full name “Pedro Julio Mir”), as well as showing them to his friends. One of those friends, without his consent, took some verses to Juan Bosch
Juan Bosch
Juan Emilio Bosch Gaviño was a politician, historian, short story writer, essayist, educator, and the first cleanly elected president of the Dominican Republic for a brief time in 1963. Previously, he had been the leader of the Dominican opposition in exile to the dictatorial regime of Rafael...
, a prominent Dominican writer of the time. Bosch noticed the natural poetic fiber of the young author, but dismissed the verses saying that the poet, though talented, should “turn his eyes to his country”. When Mir was informed of Bosch’s reaction, he decided then to write his first social poems and this time, he sent them to Bosch himself. Bosch made no immediate remark, however he had the verses published very soon in his column of the Listín Diario, the most important Dominican newspaper of the time. The verses appeared under the name Pedro Mir (for some reason Bosch chose to drop the "Julio" middle name) and what later became a prophecy: "Is this young man the social poet we’ve been long waiting for?"
The next years Mir kept writing and studying, obtaining a Doctor Degree in Law from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo
Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo
The Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo is the public university system in the Dominican Republic with its main campus in Santo Domingo and regional centers across the Republic...
(UASD) State University in 1941 and starting a practice in an office of the Dominican capital, Santo Domingo. However, the pressure of the Trujillo
Rafael Leónidas Trujillo
Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina , nicknamed El Jefe , ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. He officially served as president from 1930 to 1938 and again from 1942 to 1952, otherwise ruling as an unelected military strongman...
dictatorship became unbearable, especially for anybody with social concerns. His poems were putting him up against the regime, so after receiving threats and feeling his life in danger, he fled to Cuba in 1947. The exile would last sixteen years, until the regime fell in 1963. During the exile he traveled to many countries, but spent most of the time in Cuba.
It was while living precariously in Cuba that he wrote his famous poem "Hay un país en el mundo" (There is a country in the world). Originally published in Spanish in 1949, it has been translated to dozens of languages.
In 1952, Mir published in Guatemala his Contracanto a Walt Whitman (canto a nosotros mismos) (Countersong to Walt Whitman (Song of Ourselves)), considered one of his most accomplished works. (Its title references Whitman's "Song of Myself
Song of Myself
"Song of Myself" is a poem by Walt Whitman that is included in his work Leaves of Grass. It has been credited as “representing the core of Whitman’s poetic vision.”-Publication history:...
".) Translated to many languages, the poem has been the subject of many studies in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and other countries.
Mir returned to the Dominican Republic in 1963, during the democratic government of President Juan Bosch
Juan Bosch
Juan Emilio Bosch Gaviño was a politician, historian, short story writer, essayist, educator, and the first cleanly elected president of the Dominican Republic for a brief time in 1963. Previously, he had been the leader of the Dominican opposition in exile to the dictatorial regime of Rafael...
. After Bosch’s government was overthrown the same year, Mir, seriously ill, traveled again for a while, though he finally settled with his family in the Dominican capital in 1968, winning the Chair of Aesthetics at the UASD.
Mir also committed himself to historical research. His essay Las raíces dominicanas de la doctrina Monroe (The Dominican Roots of the Monroe Doctrine) (1974) won the Annual History Award given by the Secretary of Education of the Dominican Republic.
In 1975, his poem El huracán Neruda (The Hurricane Neruda) also won the Annual Poetry Award given by the Secretary of Education of the Dominican Republic.
His only novel Cuando amaban las tierras comuneras (When They Loved the Communal Land) was published in 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 1978 and has been highly regarded in the Dominican Republic as well as internationally.
In 1984, the Dominican Congress named him "Poet Laureate of the Dominican Republic".
In 1991, Mir traveled to New York to receive an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters, honoris causa, from the Hunter College of the City University of New York
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
.
In 1993, Mir was awarded the Dominican National Literature Award for his lifetime achievements.
Pedro Mir died peacefully on 11 July 2000 surrounded by his family, after a long pulmonary illness.
List of works
- Hay un país en el mundo (1949)
- Contracanto a Walt Whitman (1952)
- Seis momentos de esperanza (1953)
- Poemas de buen amor y a veces de fantasía (1969)
- Amén de mariposas (1969)
- Tres leyendas de colores (1969)
- El gran incendio (1969)
- Viaje a la muchedumbre (1971)
- Apertura a la estética (1974)
- Las raíces dominicanas de la doctrina Monroe (1974)
- El huracán Neruda (1975)
- La gran hazaña de Límber y después otoño (1977)
- Cuando amaban las tierras comuneras (1978)
- Fundamentos de teoría y crítica del arte (1979)
- La noción del período en la historia dominicana (1981)
- ¡Buen viaje, Pancho Valentín! (Memorias de un marinero) (1981)
- Historia del hambre en la República Dominicana (1987)
- Estética del soldadito (1991)
- El lapicida de los ojos morados (1991)
- Primeros versos (1993)
- Ayer menos cuarto y otras crónicas (2000)