Luis Palés Matos
Luis Palés Matos (1898-1959) was a prominent Puerto Rican poet known for his influential contributions to Afro-Antillean literature. Born in Guayama to a family deeply rooted in poetry—his father and brothers were also recognized poets—Palés Matos began writing poetry at an early age, inspired by a variety of literary figures from South America, Spain, and the United States. His first collection, "Azaleas," was published when he was just 17, but financial strains led him to leave school early.
Palés Matos's personal life was marked by tragedy, including the death of his first wife, Natividad, which profoundly impacted his writing. He moved to San Juan in 1921, where he became involved in literary circles and co-founded the avant-garde movement Diepalismo. His notable poem "Pueblo Negro," published in 1926, is credited with launching a new poetic style that fused African and Caribbean rhythms with the Spanish language. This work and his subsequent collection "Tuntún de pasa y grifería" positioned him as a co-founder of the Negrismo movement, which celebrated black cultural identity.
Despite facing criticism regarding his racial identity and use of African themes, Palés Matos's work has left an indelible mark on Latin American literature, exemplifying the blend of African and Antillean elements in Spanish poetry. His legacy continues to resonate through his role as a pioneer of Afro-Antillean poetry, with his teachings at the University of Puerto Rico further establishing his influence in the literary community.
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Subject Terms
Luis Palés Matos
Poet
- Born: March 20, 1898
- Birthplace: Guayama, Puerto Rico
- Died: February 23, 1959
- Place of death: Santurce, Puerto Rico
Biography
Luis Palés Matos was born on March 20, 1898, in Guayama, Puerto Rico, the son of Vincente Palés Anés and Consuelo Matos Vicil. His father was a French professor and both his father and his two brothers were poets laureate of Puerto Rico. His mother also was a poet. Palés Matos read widely as a young man and was influenced by South American poets, such as Rubén Darío, and Spanish writers, such as Miguel de Unamuno and Antonio Machado. He also read American writers, including Walt Whitman.
Young Palés Matos began writing his own poetry when he was only thirteen. His father’s death in 1913 affected the family deeply. By 1915, Palés Matos had written enough poems to be collected in his first book, Azaleas. Palés Matos self-published the collection; the publication cost him so much money, however, that he was forced to leave school and find work.
In 1918, Palés Matos married Natividad Suliveres. His love for her is documented in several of his poems, including “Versos para Natividad.” The couple settled in Fajardo, where Palés Matos took a job working on a newspaper. They soon had a son, but Natividad fell ill with tuberculosis and died from the disease in 1919. Palés Matos was distraught over his wife’s death; he wrote about his grief in a series of poems called El palacio en sombras.
Palés Matos moved to San Juan in 1921 and began submitting his poems to magazines. At the same time, he worked as a chancellor at the Dominican Republic’s consulate and also wrote for a newspaper. He and writer Jose T. de Diego Padró created an avant-garde literary movement known as Diepalismo.
In 1926, he published the poem “Pueblo Negro” in the newspaper La democracia. This poem ushered in a new poetic movement that drew on the rhythms and vocabulary of Africa and the Caribbean and combined them with the Spanish language of Puerto Rico. He continued to write in this style, publishing the collection Tuntún de pasa y grifería: Poemas afroantillanos in 1937. This collection was very well- received and as a result, Palés Matos, along with Cuban poet Nicolas Guillén, are considered the founders of the literary movement known as Negrismo. However, after the publication of this book, some readers criticized Palés Matos for his use of African terms in his poetry, since he was half-white. As a result, his later work tended to emphasize Antillean elements as opposed to African.
In 1942, Palés Matos was appointed a poet in residence at the University of Puerto Rico. He remained there as a lecturer in the faculty of humanities until his death from a heart attack in 1959.
Palés Matos is best remembered as the founder of the Afro-Antillean school of poetry that began in Puerto Rico and spread across Latin American. His work remains a fine example of the integration of African rhythms, themes, and words into Spanish verse.