List of Puerto Rican writers

Puerto Rican writers
Benitez First row: Alejandro Tapia y Rivera • Alejandrina Benitez de Gautier José Gautier Benítez Second row: Eugenio María de Hostos • Dr. Antonio S. Pedreira Lola Rodríguez de Tió

This is a list of Puerto Rican literary figures, including poets, novelists, short story authors, and playwrights. It includes people who were born in Puerto Rico, people who are of Puerto Rican ancestry, and many long-term residents and/or immigrants who have made Puerto Rico their home, and who are recognized for their literary work. New entries must be placed in alphabetical order and follow the formatting for the list.

A

• Manuel Abreu Adorno (1955–1984)
• Rafael Acevedo (born 1960), poet, playwright, fiction writer
• Alfredo M. Aguayo Educator and writer
  Established the first laboratory of child psychology at the University of Havana
• Jack Agüeros, author, playwright, poet and translator.
• Dr. Miguel Algarín, poet, writer
  Co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.
• Dr. Manuel A. Alonso, poet and author
  Considered by many to be the first Puerto Rican writer of notable importance.
• Silvia Álvarez Curbelo, writer and historian.
• Alba Ambert, novelist
  Ambert in 1996, became the first Hispanic author to win the Carey McWilliams Award for Multicultural Literature, presented by the Multicultural Review, for her novel :A Perfect Silence”.
• Pedro I. Aponte Vázquez, historian, journalist, social scientist, professor and writer.
  Author of ¡Yo Acuso! Tortura y Asesinato de Don Pedro Albizu Campos.; Pedro Albizu Campos: Su persecución por el F.B.I.; Crónica de un encubrimiento: Albizu Campos y el caso Rhoads.; Locura por decreto: El papel de Luis Muñoz Marín y José Trías Monge en el diagnóstico de locura de don Pedro Albizu Campos.; El ataque Nacionalista a La Fortaleza; The Unsolved Case of Dr. Cornelius P. Rhoads: An Indictment.; Transición [short stories]; La hacienda; “Necator Americanus: O sobre la fisiología del caso Rhoads”
• Dr. Delma S. Arrigoitia, historian, author
  Arrigoitia was the first person in the University of Puerto Rico to earn a master's degree in the field of history. In 2010, her book, "Puerto Rico Por Encima de Todo: Vida y Obra de Antonio R. Barcelo, 1868–1938", was recognized among the best in the category of "research and criticism" and awarded a first place prize by the Ateneo Puertorriqueño.
• Francisco Arriví, writer, poet, and playwright
  Arriví known as "The Father of the Puerto Rican Theater".
• Rane Arroyo, poet, playwright and scholar

B-C

• Iván Segarra Báez, novelist, poet, author of Ante la luz de un amor prohibido and director of Revista Literaria de Puerto Rico.
• Lefty (Manuel) Barreto, novelist, author of autobiography Nobody's Hero (1977)
• Janette Becerra, short-story writer, poet, professor, literary critic, and lawyer. Author of Doce versiones de soledad, Elusiones, and Antrópolis.
• Emilio S. Belaval, short-story writer, playwright, essayist, and lawyer
• Pura Belpré, author
  First Puerto Rican librarian in New York City.
• Samuel Beniquez, author
  Author of the autobiographical book entitled: Tu alto precio... Mi gran valor.
• María Bibiana Benítez, playwright
  Benitez is one of Puerto Rico's "first" poetesses.
• Alejandrina Benítez de Gautier, poet
  Benítez de Gautier's collaboration with the "Aguinaldo Puertorriqueño" (Collection of Puerto Rican Poetry) gave her recognition as a great poet.
• Tomás Blanco, writer and historian
  Blanco was the author of "Prontuario Historico de Puerto Rico" and "El Prejuicio Racial en Puerto Rico" (Racial Prejudice in Puerto Rico).
• Juan Boria, Afro-Caribbean poet
  Boria, also known as the Negro Verse Pharaoh, was a poet known for his Afro-Caribbean poetry.
• Giannina Braschi, Vanguard poet, Spanglish novelist, and performer of spoken word. Titles: "Yo-Yo Boing!", "Empire of Dreams", and "United States of Banana".
• Julia de Burgos, One of the greatest poets to have been born in Puerto Rico; author of "Yo misma fui mi ruta" and "Poema Río Grande de Loíza".
• Pedro Cabiya, fiction writer
• Mayra Calvani, writer
• Zenobia Camprubí, writer/poet (Puerto Rican mother)
  Camprubí was also the wife of Nobel Prize winning author Juan Ramón Jiménez.
• Nemesio Canales, essayist and poet.
• Luisa Capetillo Labor activist
  Capetillo was one of Puerto Rico's most famous labor organizers. She was also a writer and an anarchist who fought for workers and women's rights.
• Jaime Carrero, poet and playwright
• N. Humberto Cintrón, novelist, author of Frankie Christo (1972)
• Jesús Colón, writer
  "Father of the Nuyorican Movement."
• Joaquín Colón (1896–1964), author of Pioneros puertorriqueños en Nueva York
• Manuel Corchado y Juarbe, poet, journalist and politician
  Corchado y Juarbe defended the abolition of slavery and the establishment of a University in Puerto Rico.
• Juan Antonio Corretjer, poet
  Corretjer was also a journalist and pro-independence political activist who opposed United States rule in Puerto Rico..
• Zoé Corretjer Lloréns
• Nicky Cruz, Reverend
  Cruz has written two autobiographies, Run Baby Run, with Jamie Buckingham (1968), and Soul Obsession, with Frank Martin (2005).
• Isabel Cuchí Coll, journalist and author
  Cuchi Coll was the granddaughter of Dr. Cayetano Coll y Toste and niece of José Coll y Cuchí. She served as Director of the "Sociedad de Autores Puertorriqueño

D

• Anjelamaría Dávila, poet
• Dr. José Antonio Dávila, poet
  Dávila was a well-known poet during Puerto Rico's postmodern era of poetry.
• Virgilio Dávila, poet
  Dávila is considered by many to be one of Puerto Rico's greatest representatives of the modern literary era..
• Nelson Antonio Denis, novelist, journalist, New York State Assemblyman
  Denis published over 300 editorials as the Editorial Director of El Diario/La Prensa, and received the “Best Editorial Writing” award from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
• Abelardo Díaz Alfaro, writer
• Emilio Díaz Valcárcel
• José de Diego "The Father of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement"
  De Diego was then elected to the House of Delegates, the only locally elected body of government allowed by the U.S., and which De Diego presided from 1904 to 1917
• Caridad de la Luz a.k.a. "La Bruja", poet
  She is also the writer/actor of "Boogie Rican Blvd".

E-G

• Elizam Escobar poet, author and visual artist.
• Sandra María Esteves, Nuyorican poet
• Dr. Héctor Feliciano, author
  Feliciano's book "The Lost Museum: The Nazi Conspiracy to Steal the World's Greatest Works of Art" has shed a light on an estimated 20,000 looted works; each one is owned by a museum or a collector somewhere.
• Carole Fernández, novelist, author of Sleep of the Innocents (1991)
• Isabel Freire de Matos, writer, educator and advocate of Puerto Rican independence.
• Dr. Rosario Ferré, author of "The House on the Lagoon", "The Youngest Doll", and "Maldito Amor".
• José Angel Figueroa, poet
• Shaggy Flores, Nuyorican writer, poet
  African Diaspora Scholar, Founder of Voices for the Voiceless.
• Félix Franco-Oppenheimer, poet and writer
  His works include "Contornos", "Imagen y visión edénica de Puerto Rico", and "Antología poética".
• Ana María Fuster Lavin (born 1967), editor, poet and short story writer
• Edward Gallardo, playwright; works include those collected in Simpson Street and Other Plays
• Magali García Ramis, writer
• José Gautier Benítez, poet
  Gautier Benítez is considered by many to be Puerto Rico's best poet of the Romantic Era.
• David Gonzalez, award-winning journalist and photographer at the New York Times.
• José Luis González, writer
  One of the most prominent writers of the 20th century, particularly for his "El país de cuatro pisos" (1980).
• Migene Gonzalez-Wippler, new-age author, prominent Santería expert.
• Manuel González Pató, educator and writer in the field of athletics

H-K

• Victor Hernández Cruz, poet
  In 1969, Hernández Cruz became the first Hispanic to be published by a mainstream publishing house when Random House published his poem "Snaps". In 1981, Life Magazine named him one of America's (US) greatest poets.
• Eugenio María de Hostos a.k.a. "El Ciudadano de las Américas" (The Citizen of the Americas)
  educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist, and independence advocate.
• Quiara Alegría Hudes, playwright and author
  She best known for writing the book for the Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights.
• José de Jesús Esteves, poet, lawyer, and judge
• Adolfo Jiménez Benítez, essayist, medievalist investigator
• Zoé Jiménez Corretjer

L

• Dr. Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes, writer
  Author of "Uñas pintadas de azul/Blue Fingernails".
• Enrique A. Laguerre, writer
  Laguerre was nominated for Nobel Prize in literature.
• Eduardo Lalo (1960), writer
  Author of "Simone".
• Elidio La Torre-Lagares (1965), poet, novelist, essayist, author of Vicios de construcción (2008)
• Tato Laviera, poet
  Author of "AmeRícan".
• Georgina Lázaro, children's poet
• Muna Lee, writer
  Born in Mississippi, was the first wife of Luis Muñoz Marín.
• Aurora Levins Morales (born 1954), writer
• Teresita A. Levy, writer
  Author of "The History of Tobacco Cultivation in Puerto Rico, 1898-1940". The book is a study of the tobacco-growing regions in the eastern and western highlands of Puerto Rico from 1898 to 1940.
• José Liboy Erba (Pepe Liboy) (born 1964)
• José María Lima (1934–2009), poet, philosopher, mathematician, author of La sílaba en la piel (1982)
• Luis Lloréns Torres, poet
• Washington Llorens, journalist, writer, linguist, and scholar.
• Luis López Nieves, writer
• Ángel Lozada, novelist
• Carmen Lugo Filippi (born 1940), short-story writer

M

• Pedro A. Malavet, writer
  Malavet wrote "America's Colony: The Political and Cultural Conflict between the United States and Puerto Rico" (Publisher: NYU Press. 2004. ISBN 0814756808; ISBN 978-0814756805).
• Manuel Manrique, novelist, author of Island in Harlem (1966)
• Hugo Margenat, poet
  Margenat was also the founder of the political youth pro-independence organizations "Acción Juventud Independentista" and "Federación de Universitarios Pro Independencia".
• René Marqués, playwright
  Marqués wrote "La Carreta" (The Oxcart) which helped secure his reputation as a leading literary figure in Puerto Rico.
• Manuel Martínez Maldonado (born 1937), physician, poet, novelist, author of poetry books La voz sostenida and La novela del medio día and of the novel Isla Verde
• Jaime L. Marzán Ramos, author of Mercedes.
• Nemir Matos-Cintrón, poet, novelist
• Francisco Matos Paoli, poet, critic, and essayist
  Matos Paoli was nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature in 1977. He was also a Secretary General of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.
• Joserramón Melendes (born 1952), poet
• Dr. Concha Melendez, poet, writer
• Jesús Papoleto Meléndez, poet
• Manuel Méndez Ballester, writer
• Dr. Nancy Mercado, poet, playwright
  Mercado is the author of "It Concerns the Madness," seven theatre plays, and a number of essays. Her work has been extensively anthologized.
• Rubén A. Moreira Vidal
• Luis Muñoz Marín, politician and poet
• Nicholasa Mohr, writer
  Her works, among which is the novel Nilda, tell of growing up in the Puerto Rican communities of the Bronx and El Barrio and of the difficulties Puerto Rican women face in the United States.
• Rosario Morales, poet, co-author of Getting Home Alive (1986)
• Mercedes Negron Muñoz, a.k.a. "Clara Lair", poet
  Negrón Muñoz was an influential poet whose work dealt with the everyday struggles of the common Puerto Rican.

O

• Judith Ortiz Cofer, poet, writer and essayist.
• Micol Ostow, author
  Ostow wrote of "Mind Your Manners, Dick and Jane". Her novel, "Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa", was named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age.
• Dr. José Gualberto Padilla a.k.a. "El Caribe" poet
• Luis Palés Matos, poet of Afro-Caribbean themes; author of "Tuntún de pasa y grifería" and "Pueblo negro"
• Dr. Antonio S. Pedreira, writer and educator
  Pedreira's most important book was "Insularismo", in which he explores the meaning of being Puerto Rican.

P-Q

• Eleanor Parker Sapia, novelist, poet, artist; author of "A Decent Woman" (2015) 2015 July Las Comadres & Friends Book of the Month
• Pedro Pietri, poet, playwright
  Co-founder of the Nuyorican Movement; author of "Puerto Rican Obituary" and "The Masses Are Asses.
• Miguel Piñero, playwright, writer
  Co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.
• Juan Ponce de León II, first Puerto Rican acting governor
  His written work Memorias de Melgarejo (Melgarejo's Memoirs) is one of Puerto Rico's most important historical documents.
• Juan Carlos Quiñones (born 1972)

R–S

• Manuel Ramos Otero, short story writer, poet and essayist; author of "Página en blanco y staccato".
• Evaristo Ribera Chevremont, poet
• Roberto Ramos Perea (born 1958), poet, playwright, journalist
• Guillermo Rebollo-Gil, poet
• Marie Teresa Ríos, author
  Author of the novel "The Fifteenth Pelican," which was the basis for the popular 1960s television sitcom, "The Flying Nun".
• Rubén Ríos Ávila, essayist
• Edward Rivera, novelist, author of Family Installments: Memories of Growing Up Hispanic (1983)
• José Rivera, playwright
  Rivera is the first Puerto Rican screenwriter to be nominated for an Oscar.
• Oswaldo Rivera, novelist, author of Fire and Rain (1990)
• Abraham Rodríguez, Jr., short story author; works include Ashes to Ashes (1989), Boy Without a Flag, Spidertown, The Buddha Book, South by South Bronx
• Leonardo Rodríguez, short story author; works include They Have to Be Puerto Ricans (1988)
• Lola Rodríguez de Tió, poet
  Rodríguez de Tió wrote lyrics to the revolutionary "La Borinqueña".
• Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá, novelist, author of "The Renuciation" and "Cortijo's Wake"
• Bonafide Rojas, poet, musician, Author Of "When The City Sleeps" (2012)
• Francisco Rojas Tollinchi, poet, civic leader and journalist.
• Richard Ruíz, novelist, author of The Hungry American (1978)
• Luis Rafael Sánchez, playwright, novelist
• Joe Sánchez, Former New York City police officer
  Sánchez was a highly decorated former New York City police officer and author whose books give an insight as to the corruption within the department."
• Edgardo Sanabria Santaliz
• Esmeralda Santiago, author of the coming of age novel "When I Was Puerto Rican"
• Ruben Santiago-Hudson is a playwright and actor
  Santiago-Hudson has won national awards for his work in both areas.
• Mayra Santos-Febres, poet, novelist
• Pedro Juan Soto, writer/novelist
  Soto is the father of slain independence activist Carlos Soto Arriví.
• Clemente Soto Vélez, poet and activist
• Clementina Souchet, novelist, author of Clementina: Historia sin fin (1986)

T-Z

• Alejandro Tapia y Rivera, writer and poet
  "The Father of Puerto Rican Literature".
• Piri Thomas, author of the best-seller Down These Mean Streets.
• Edwin Torres, "Nuyorican Movement" poet
• Judge Edwin Torres, writer
  New York Supreme Court Justice who wrote "Carlito's Way".
• J.L. Torres (Dr. Jose L. Torres-Padilla), poet, fiction writer, literary scholar and critic. Author of the novel, The Accidental Native, and co-editor of first critical anthology of the literature of the Puerto Rican diaspora, Writing Off the Hyphen.
• Diego de Torres Vargas a priest
  was the first person to write a book about the history of Puerto Rico.
• Dr. Luz María Umpierre, poet, scholar
• Charlie Vázquez, novelist
• Lourdes Vázquez, poet, short story writer, novelist
• Robert Vazquez-Pacheco, author
• Angel L. Vega, Author of "Sé el Líder de tu Desarrollo Profesional"
• Ana Lydia Vega, short story author, essayist
• Bernardo Vega, novelist, author of The Memoirs of Bernardo Vega (1977, English ed. 1984)
• Edgardo Vega Yunqué or Ed Vega, novelist
• Irene Vilar, author and literary agent
  Vilar is the granddaughter of independence activist Lolita Lebrón.
• William Carlos Williams (Puerto Rican mother), Modernist poet
• Emanuel Xavier (Puerto Rican father), poet and novelist
• Iris Zavala (born 1936), author, scholar, poet
• Dr. Manuel Zeno Gandia, writer
  Zeno Gandia wrote "La Charca", the first Puerto Rican novel.

See also

• Before Columbus Foundation
• History of women in Puerto Rico
• List of Latin American writers
• List of Puerto Ricans
• Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States
• Puerto Rican literature

External links

• Acosta-Belén, Edna. "Puerto Rican Literature in the United States," in Redefining American Literary History, Ed. A. LaVonne Brown Ruoff and Jerry W. Ward, MLA, 1990.
• Aldama, Frederick. Routledge Concise History of Latino/a Literature, featuring Puerto Rican authors Miguel Algarín, Giannina Braschi, Pedro Pietri, Miguel Piñero, Esmeralda Santiago, Piri Thomas, et al., Routledge, 2013.
• Bibliografía de escritores puertorriqueños de la Generación Ochenta (Generation of the 80's).
• Cancel, Mario R. Literatura y narrativa puertorriqueña: la escritura entre siglos. San Juan: Pasadizo, 2007.
• Callahan, Laura. Spanish/English Codeswitching in a Written Corpus. John Benjamins Publishing, 2004.
• Castillo, Debra. Redreaming America: Toward a Bilingual American Culture. On Ana Lydia Vega and Giannina Braschi. SUNY Series in Latin American and Iberian Thought and Culture, 2005.
• López Baralt, Mercedes. Literatura Puertorriqueña del Siglo XX: Antología. San Juan: EDUPR, 2004.
• Martínez Márquez, Alberto, and Mario Cancel. El límite volcado. Antología de la Generación de Poetas de los Ochenta. San Juan: Isla Negra, 2000.
• Milligan, Bryce, Floricanto Sí!: A Collection of Latina Poetry. Penguin, 1998.
• Moreira, Rubén Alejandro. Antología de la poesía puertorriqueña. Vol. I Romanticismo; Vol.II Modernismo y Postmodernismo; Vol. III Contemporánea; Vol. IV Contemporánea. San Juan: Tríptico, 1992-1993.
• Ortega, Julio. Antología de la poesía latinoamericana del siglo XXI: el turno y la transición. México: Editorial Siglo XXI, 1997.
• Torres, Lourdes. "In the Contact Zone: Code-Switching Strategies by Latino/a Writers", JUSTOR, 2007.
• Stanchich, Maritza. "Insular Interventions: Diasporic Puerto Rican Literature Bilanguaging toward a Greater Puerto Rico." Ph.D. diss, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2003.
• Torres-Padilla, José L. and Carmen Haydée Rivera. Writing Off the Hyphen: New Critical Perspectives on the Literature of the Puerto Rican Diaspora. University of Washington Press, 2008.
• Williams, Raymond L. The Columbia Guide to the Latin American Novel Since 1945. Featuring Puerto Rican novelists Giannina Braschi, Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá, Luis Rafael Sanchez, and Esmeralda Santiago. New york: Columbia University Press, 2007.
• Zimmerman, Marc. U.S. Latino Literature: An Essay and Annotated Bibliography. MARCH/Abrazo, 1992.