Enrique Laguerre
| Enrique Laguerre | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Enrique Arturo Laguerre Vélez May 3, 1906 Moca, Puerto Rico |
| Died |
June 16, 2005 (aged 99) Carolina, Puerto Rico |
| Pen name | Tristan Ronda; Luis Urayoan; Motial; Alberto Prado |
| Occupation | writer, poet, critic, teacher |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Genre | novels, plays, columns |
| Notable works | "La Llamarada" |
| Spouse | Luz V. Romero Garcia |
Enrique Arturo Laguerre Vélez (May 3, 1906 – June 16, 2005) was a teacher and critic from Moca, Puerto Rico. His works include novels, plays and a writing newspaper columns for El Vocero newspaper.
Biography
Laguerre studied at various universities, obtaining degrees in arts from the University of Puerto Rico and Columbia University.
In 1924, he took courses on teaching in rural areas in the town of Aguadilla. The courses where taught by Carmen Gómez Tejera. After this he taught from 1925 to 1988, both at the elementary school and university levels.
Laguerre was known to use the pen-names of Tristan Ronda, Luis Urayoan, Motial and Alberto Prado, among others. Married for many years to the well-respected writer Luz V. Romero Garcia, he also worked in many Puerto Rican publications before joining the staff of El Vocero.
In 1998, his peers as well as former governors Rafael Hernández Colón and Luis A. Ferré, advocated for Laguerre to be considered for the Nobel Prize in Literature.[1] Despite their efforts, Laguerre was not awarded the prestigious award.
Laguerre was an emeritus member of the Center for Advanced Studies on Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
Enrique Laguerre died on June 16, 2005, at the age of 99. His body was buried on the grounds of the Palacete Los Moreau, an old "hacienda" restored as a museum, in his native town of Moca.
Writings
Laguerre was one of the most prolific novelists of Puerto Rico. Following the steps of Manuel Zeno Gandía, Laguerre's most influential work focused on the problems of the colonized society. His novel La Llamarada offers a compressive view of rural Puerto Rico during the Great Depression. Most of his novels are essential readings in Puerto Rican literature courses.
Works
Literary Works - Novels
- La Llamarada (1935)
- Solar Montoya (1941)
- El 30 de Febrero (1942)
- La Resaca (1949)
- Los Dedos de la Mano (1950)
- La Ceiba en el Tiesto (1956)
- El Laberinto (1959)
- The Laberinto in English The Labyrinth(1960)
- Cauce sin Rio: Diario de mi Generacion (1962)
- El Fuego y su Aire (1970)
- Los Amos Benevolos (1976)
- Los Amos Benevolos in English The Benevolent Masters 1986
- Infiernos Privados (1986)
- Por Boca de Cracoles (1990)
- Los Gemelos (1992)
- Proa Libre Sobre Mar Gruesa (1995)
- Contrapunto de Soledades (1999)
Ensayos y Teatro
- La Resentida (1949)
- Antologia de Cuentos Puertorriqueños (1954)
- Pulso de Puerto Rico (1956)
- Enrique Laguerre Habla Sobre Nuestras Bibliotecas (1959)
- Obras Completas (1962)
- La Responsabilidad de un Profesor Universitario (1963)
- El Jibaro de Puerto Rico: Simbolo y Figura (1968)
- La Poesia Modernista en Puerto Rico (1969)
- Polos de la Cultura Iberoamericana (1977)
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- French immigration to Puerto Rico
- List of Puerto Rican writers
- Puerto Rican literature
References
- ↑ Rossello, Hernandez Colon, Ferre Urge Nobel Prize in Literature for Enrique Laguerre Associated Press. March 3, 1999.