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	==Afro-Antillano poems==		==Afro-Antillano poems==
	In 1926, a local newspaper ''La Democracia'' published "Pueblo negro" (Black Town), the first known Afro-Antillano poem<ref name="PN"></ref>. This was the beginning of a new genre of ] which blended words from the Afro-Caribbean culture into the ] verse of Puerto Rico,<ref name="PN"/>. The poems were immediately and vitriolically criticized by white, mainstream Puerto Rican intellectuals who did not agree that black issues were noteworthy or appropriate topics for high literature<ref name="PN"/>. In 1937, Palés Matos published '''''Tuntún de pasa y grifería''''' (Drumbeats of Kinkiness and Blackness). This collection of poems was highly acclaimed by his peers and received an award of recognition from the Puerto Rican Institute of Literature<ref></ref>. Palés Matos gained fame with his literary work but, the experience was bittersweet. Though Palés Matos is considered the people of Puerto Rico, together with the Afro-Cuban poet ], the father of the "Negrismo" movement, he was also criticized by members of the black Puerto Rican community, who considered it an insult to their race that Palés Matos, a white (light-skinned) man, was becoming famous on their account.<ref name="PRPOP"></ref> Nevertheless, black Puerto Rican performers such as ] and ] recited and immortalized Palés Matos's poetry<ref name="PRPOP"/>.		In 1926, a local newspaper ''La Democracia'' published "Pueblo negro" (Black Town), the first known Afro-Antillano poem<ref name="PN"></ref>{{failed verification\|date=July 2011}}. This was the beginning of a new genre of ] which blended words from the Afro-Caribbean culture into the ] verse of Puerto Rico,<ref name="PN"/>. The poems were immediately and vitriolically criticized by white, mainstream Puerto Rican intellectuals who did not agree that black issues were noteworthy or appropriate topics for high literature<ref name="PN"/>{{failed verification\|date=July 2011}}. In 1937, Palés Matos published '''''Tuntún de pasa y grifería''''' (Drumbeats of Kinkiness and Blackness). This collection of poems was highly acclaimed by his peers{{specify\|date=July 2011}} and received an award of recognition from the Puerto Rican Institute of Literature<ref></ref>. Palés Matos gained fame with his literary work but, the experience was bittersweet. Though Palés Matos is considered by the people of Puerto Rico, together with the Afro-Cuban poet ], the father of the "Negrismo" movement, he was also criticized by members of the black Puerto Rican community, who considered it an insult to their race that Palés Matos, a white (light-skinned) man, was becoming famous on their account.<ref name="PRPOP"></ref>{{failed verification\|date=July 2011}} Nevertheless, black Puerto Rican performers such as ] and ] recited and immortalized Palés Matos's poetry<ref name="PRPOP"/>{{failed verification\|date=July 2011}}.

	==Written works==		==Written works==

Revision as of 18:14, 12 August 2011

Luis Palés Matos
Luis Palés Matos
Born	March 20, 1898 Guayama, Puerto Rico
Died	February 23, 1959
Occupation	poet
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Genre	Afro-Antillano

Luis Palés Matos (March 20, 1898-February 23, 1959) was a Puerto Rican poet who is credited with creating the poetry genre known as Afro-Antillano.

Early years

Palés Matos was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico into a family of well known poets which included both his parents, Vicente Palés Anés and Consuelo Matos Vicil and his brothers and sisters, Vicente, Gustavo, Consuelo and Josefa. His family was instrumental in his poetic development and is reflected when at the age of 17 he wrote and published his first book of poetry titled "Azaleas", a collection of his poems. In high school he became the editor of the school's monthly publication "Mehr Licht". His family's financial situation wasn't a good one and he was forced to drop out of high school and earn a living working in various jobs.

Diepalismo movement

In 1918, he moved to the town of Fajardo where he worked for El Pueblo, the town's local newspaper. There he met a young lady by the name of Natividad Suliveres and soon married her. Natividad gave birth to a baby boy, but within a year she died. Palés Matos was devastated and expressed his grief in the poem "El palacio en sombras" (The palace in shadows). He moved to San Juan and worked for the daily newspapers, El Mundo and El Imparcial. In San Juan he met and befriended Jose T. de Diego Padró, a fellow poet and together they created a literary movement known as "Diepalismo", a name derived from the combination of their surnames.

Afro-Antillano poems

In 1926, a local newspaper La Democracia published "Pueblo negro" (Black Town), the first known Afro-Antillano poem. This was the beginning of a new genre of Latin American literature which blended words from the Afro-Caribbean culture into the Spanish verse of Puerto Rico,. The poems were immediately and vitriolically criticized by white, mainstream Puerto Rican intellectuals who did not agree that black issues were noteworthy or appropriate topics for high literature. In 1937, Palés Matos published Tuntún de pasa y grifería (Drumbeats of Kinkiness and Blackness). This collection of poems was highly acclaimed by his peers and received an award of recognition from the Puerto Rican Institute of Literature. Palés Matos gained fame with his literary work but, the experience was bittersweet. Though Palés Matos is considered by the people of Puerto Rico, together with the Afro-Cuban poet Nicolás Guillén, the father of the "Negrismo" movement, he was also criticized by members of the black Puerto Rican community, who considered it an insult to their race that Palés Matos, a white (light-skinned) man, was becoming famous on their account. Nevertheless, black Puerto Rican performers such as Sylvia del Villard and Juan Boria recited and immortalized Palés Matos's poetry.

Written works

Some of Palés Matos' works are:

El palacio en sombras (The Palace in Shadows)
Pueblo negro (Black Town)
Danza negra (Black Dance)
Canción festiva para ser llorada (A festival song to cry for)
Falsa canción de baquiné (False Song of a funeral for a child)
Largarto verde (Green Lizard)
Tuntún de pasa y grifería (Drumbeats of kinkiness and blackness)
Majestad negra (Black Majesty)

Later years

In 1957, his written work, "Poesías" was acclaimed by the Academy of the Spanish language. Palés Matos was selected by the faculty of the University of Puerto Rico as their conference representative. Palés Matos died of heart failure in San Juan on February 23, 1959.

Legacy

The government of Puerto Rico honored the memory of Palés Matos by naming a high school in the town of Bayamón and a public housing complex in Guayama after him.