Porfirio Barba-Jacob
Porfirio Barba-Jacob, born Miguel Ángel Osorio Benítez on July 29, 1883, in Santa Rosa de Osos, Antioquia, Colombia, was a prominent poet and writer whose life was marked by turbulence and creativity. Raised by his grandparents after a challenging childhood, he began his literary journey at a young age, founding the literary magazine El Cancionero Antioqueno around 1902. His work includes poetry, with notable pieces like "Campiña Florida" and "Parabola de la vida profunda." Throughout his life, Barba-Jacob adopted several pseudonyms, most famously "Porfirio Barba-Jacob," while facing political upheaval that forced him to flee multiple countries, including Guatemala and Cuba, due to his controversial views and associations.
Despite these challenges, he contributed significantly to literary culture across Central America and Mexico, befriending influential figures like Porfirio Díaz. His literary legacy encompasses themes of sorrow and existential reflection, leading to nicknames such as "el Poeta Maldito" (the Cursed Poet). Barba-Jacob's life came to an end in Mexico City in 1942 due to tuberculosis, and in 1946, his ashes were returned to Colombia, honoring his impact on Colombian literature. His story illustrates the intersection of art and personal struggle, resonating with those interested in the complexities of literary figures in tumultuous historical contexts.
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Subject Terms
Porfirio Barba-Jacob
Writer
- Born: July 29, 1883
- Birthplace: Santa Rosa de Osos, Antioquia, Colombia
- Died: January 14, 1942
- Place of death: Mexico City, Mexico
Biography
Miguel Ángel Osorio Benítez, better known by his pseudonym “Porfirio Barba-Jacob,” was born on July 29, 1883, in Santa Rosa de Osos, Antioquia, Colombia. He was the son of Antonio Maria Osorio and Pastora Benítez. He was reared by his grandparents in Angostura. At twelve he traveled to the capital to find his parents. Failing to find a better life with them than he had with his grandparents, he returned to those grandparents at fourteen. They sent him to other family in Medellín, where he began his studies at the Escuela Normal. Here he wrote his first verse.
Barba-Jacob founded the literary magazine El Cancionero Antioqueno (the Antiochan storybook) in Bogotá in or around 1902. He managed the magazine under the pseudonym “Marin Jimenez.” Shortly after this time, he wrote the novel Virginia. The novel was never published because the original manuscript was confiscated by the mayor of Santa Rosa for alleged immorality.
In 1906, after moving to Barranquilla, he adopted the pseudonym “Ricardo Arnales,” which he used until 1922. It was in Guatamala, in 1922, that he adopted the pseudonym “Porfirio Barba-Jacob,” which he would use for the rest of his life. In Barranquilla, he wrote many poems, among them Campiña Florida (the flowering countryside), and his most famous work Parabola de la vida profunda (parable of a deep life). In Central America, Mexico, and the United States, he contributed to numerous magazines and journals.
Barba-Jacob’s history is as colorful as it is diverse. His childhood was not typical, but his middle years were dramatic in the extreme. Because he befriended Porfirio Diaz, he had to flee to Guatemala; for disagreeing with Manuel Estrada, he had to leave Guatemala for Cuba. In 1918, he returned to Mexico, where he is said to have written a biography of Pancho Villa. In 1922, he was expelled by Alvaro Obregon and fled again to Guatemala. He was expelled again from Guatemala in 1924, this time by Jorge Ubico. Barba- Jacob then went to El Salvador, where he was deported by Alfonso Quiñones. He traveled, next, to Honduras, New Orleans, and Cuba. In 1927, he returned to Colombia. After some recitals and contributions to the Colombian journal El Espectador, he left Colombia on what would be his last trip.
Porfirio Barba-Jacob, known as ”el Principe Sombrio” (the Dark Prince), ”El Poeta Maldito” (the Cursed Poet), ”el Poeta del Dolor ye de la Angustia” (the Poet of Sorrow and Anguish), and ”el Sacerdote de la Rima” (the Priest of Rhyme), among many other titles and names, died of tuberculosis in 1942 in Mexico City. On January 11, 1946, four years after his death, his ashes were claimed by the Colombian government; they were returned to the Rotonda de los hombres illustres (the Rotunda of Illustrious Men).