María Bibiana Benítez

María Bibiana Benítez
María Bibiana Benítez

Puerto Rico's first known female poet and playwrights.
Born María Bibiana Benítez Constanza
December 10, 1783
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Died April 18, 1873
San Juan
Occupation poet, playwright
Nationality Puerto Rican
Notable work(s) Soneto, Diálogo Alegórico, A La Vejez
Relative(s) Alejandrina Benítez de Gautier (niece); José Gautier Benítez (grand-nephew)

María Bibiana Benítez (December 10, 1783 – April 18, 1873), was Puerto Rico's first known female poet and one of its first playwrights.

Contents

Early years

Benitez, (born María Bibiana Benítez Constanza) was born into a middle class family in the town of Aguadilla. Her father Jose Benitez, was a lieutenant in the Spanish Army who on April 28, 1797 defended "La Puntilla" against an English invasion. He was married to Juana Bautista Benitez. Her family loved literature and owned a private library which contained a collection of the best books available at the time. Her father could afford such a luxury since he also held an important position within the Spanish colonial government. Benítez was able to attend the best private schools where she learned about poetry and composition.[1]

In 1813, she moved to the coastal town of Luquillo, where she wrote the majority of her poems. In 1820, her brother Pedro Jose Benítez and his wife died and she took it upon herself to raise her orphaned niece Alejandrina Benítez de Gautier, who would in the future become a renowned poetess herself. Benitez was also the great-aunt of whom is considered to be the greatest Puerto Rican poet, Jose Gautier Benítez.[1]

Literary works

In 1832, Benitez published her first poem, La Ninfa de Puerto Rico, which is considered to be the first poem written by a Puerto Rican woman. She also became the first Puerto Rican woman to write a dramatic play when she wrote La Cruz del Morro (The Cross of El Morro). The play was based on the attack of the city of San Juan by the Dutch with the intention of invading Puerto Rico in 1625 and the heroic defense by the islanders. This was the first dramatic play written in Puerto Rico dealing with a local historical event.[1][2] Among her better known poems are: "Soneto" (1839), "Diálogo Alegórico" (1858) and "A La Vejez."

Later years

Benitez moved to the Calle Cristo in city of San Juan. In San Juan she presented her play and she also published the rest of her poems. Among her better known poems are "Soneto" (1839) and "Dialogo Alegorico" (1858). Maria Bibiana Benitez died on April 18, 1873 in San Juan Puerto Rico.[3]

Books

There is a book written about her life titled "Los Silencios De Maria Bibiana Benitez" (English: The Silence of Maria Bibiana Benitez) by Maria Arrillaga.

See also

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Maria Arrillaga — Born 1940 Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Occupation Poet. Writer. Retired professor, Department of Spanish, Faculty of General Studies, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras …   Wikipedia

  • Benitez — Benítez or Benitez is a Hispanic surname. The name refers to:PersonsCountry of Origin =America= *Antonio Benitez Rojo ( [?] ndash;2005), Cuban American professor *Joe Benitez (1971 mdash;), American comic book artist *John ldquo;Jellybean rdquo;… …   Wikipedia

  • José Gautier Benítez — Infobox writer name = José Gautier Benítez imagesize = 120px caption = José Gautier Benítez pseudonym = birthname = birthdate = April 12, 1848 birthplace = Caguas, Puerto Rico deathdate = January 24, 1880 deathplace = San Juan occupation =… …   Wikipedia

  • Alejandrina Benitez de Gautier — Infobox writer name = Alejandrina Benítez de Gautier imagesize = 140px caption = Alejandrina Benítez de Gautier pseudonym = birthname = Alejandrina Benítez birthdate = 1819 birthplace = Mayagüez, Puerto Rico deathdate = 1879 deathplace =… …   Wikipedia

  • Alejandrina Benítez de Gautier — Este artículo o sección necesita referencias que aparezcan en una publicación acreditada, como revistas especializadas, monografías, prensa diaria o páginas de Internet fidedignas. Puedes añadirlas así o avisar …   Wikipedia Español

  • List of compositions by Juan María Solare — This is a fairly complete list of works by composer and pianist Juan María Solare.tage works* Veinticinco de agosto, 1983 August 25 1983. (1992/1993) * Diez Estudios Escénicos [Ten scenic Etudes] (Cologne Mollina, June July 1996) * Trio for One… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Puerto Ricans — This list of Puerto Ricans 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, who are significantly notable for their life… …   Wikipedia

  • Puerto Rican women in the military — One of the least known roles played by Puerto Rican women has been that of revolutionists and soldiers. This is a brief account of some the Puerto Rican women who have participated in military actions either as members of a political… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Puerto Rican writers — This is a list of Puerto Rican literary figures, including poets, novelists, and playwrightsA C*Jack Agüeros, playwright, poet and translator *Miguel Algarín, Ph.D. (1940 ), co founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe *Manuel A. Alonso (1822 1889),… …   Wikipedia

  • Liste puertoricanischer Schriftsteller — Liste von Autoren der puertoricanischen Literatur Jack Agüeros, Dramatiker, Dichter und Übersetzer Miguel Algarín (1940–), Manuel A. Alonso (1822–1889), Dichter und Journalist Iván Segarra Báez (1967–), Dichter Lefty (Manuel) Barreto, Romanautor… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”