Luis Lloréns Torres
Luis Lloréns Torres was a prominent Puerto Rican poet, lawyer, and politician born on May 14, 1876, in Valle de Collores, near Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico. He pursued higher education in Spain, obtaining a law degree and a Ph.D. in literature from the University of Granada after initially attending the University of Barcelona. In 1901, he married Carmen Rivero and later established a law practice in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where he raised three sons. Torres published his first poetry collection, *Al pie de la Alhambra*, in 1899, which was influenced by Romanticism and Modernismo, a poetic movement he helped introduce to Puerto Rico. He actively participated in politics, advocating for Puerto Rico's independence from the United States and founding the magazine *Revista de las Antillas* in 1913 to promote Modernismo poets. His later work, *Sonetos sinfónicos*, published in 1914, further emphasized the aesthetics of Modernismo. Recognized as the national poet of Puerto Rico in 1933, Torres's poetry often reflected tropical landscapes and celebrated Puerto Rican identity, leaving a lasting impact on the Spanish American Modernismo movement. He passed away on June 16, 1944, after receiving medical treatment in New York City, with the assistance of President Franklin D. Roosevelt for his return home.
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Subject Terms
Luis Lloréns Torres
Author
- Born: May 14, 1876
- Birthplace: Valle de Collores, near Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico
- Died: June 16, 1944
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Luis Lloréns Torres was born May 14, 1876, in Valle de Collores, near Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico. His father, Luis Aurelio del Carmen Lloréns, owned a coffee plantation. His mother was Marcelina Soledad del Torres. He had one brother and three sisters, one of whom was a poet. Traveling to Spain for his education, he attended the University of Barcelona, but when conflict arose because of his relationship with one of his professors’ daughters, he transferred to the University of Granada. He graduated with a degree in law and a Ph.D. in literature. In 1901, he married Carmen Rivero, whom he had met at the University of Granada. They moved to Puerto Rico, settling in Ponce, where he opened a law practice, and eventually had three sons: Elio, Luis, and José.
Torres’s first collection of poems, Al pie de la Alambra (at the foot of the Alhambra), published in 1899, was dedicated to his future wife. The book was largely influenced by the Romantic movement, but showed traces of Modernismo, a tradition grounded in French Symbolist Poetry and imported from Spain, largely by Torres himself. He began his political career in 1904, when he was elected to the House of Representatives. He fought diligently for the independence of Puerto Rico from the United States, because he feared the influence of a non-Hispanic culture.
In 1913, he founded the magazine Revista de las Antillas, though covering a broad range of topics, promoted poets active in the Modernismo movement. His second collection of poetry, Sonetos sinfónicos (symphonic sonnets), published in 1914, was more firmly rooted in the values of Modernismo, especially in its relationship to beauty. Torres often gave readings of his poetry, which were very popular, and also sometimes delivered his legal arguments in the form of a poem. After seeking medical care in New York City at Mount Sinai Hospital, he was aided by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in returning home. (World War II created difficulty in international travel.) He died on June 16, 1944. Torres received a laurel crown as national poet of Puerto Rico in 1933.
A popular poet in his homeland, Luis Lloréns Torres is recognized for his influence in the Spanish American Modernismo movement. His poetry, filled with tropical landscapes and marked with national thematic elements, celebrates Puerto Rican identity.