Aída Cartagena Portalatín
Aída Cartagena Portalatín was a Dominican poet, fiction writer, and essayist who was an influential part of the Poesía Sorprendida movement. Many of her works have been translated into English and other languages.
Biography
She was born in [Moca, Dominican Republic|Dominican Republic|Moca], Dominican Republic, where she completed her elementary and secondary education. She is the daughter of Felipe Cartagena Estrella and Olimpia Portalatín. She later moved to the capital of the Dominican Republic, where she earned her Doctorate in Humanities at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo. She pursued her post-graduate studies at École du Louvre in Paris, and majored in museology and theory of fine arts.In her early career, Cartagena Portalatín was part of the "poesía sorprendida" movement in the Dominican Republic. Poesía Sorprendida was initiated in October 1943 through the publication of the journal La Poesía Sorprendida. Aside from Aída Cartagena Portalatín being a part of this revolutionary movement, some of the other founding members were Franklin Mieses Burgos, Antonio Fernández, Alberto Baeza Flores, Domingo Moreno Jiménez and Mariano Lebrón Saviñón. This movement was surprisingly successful and very much in the open throughout the tyranny of Rafael Trujillo, where freedom of expression was strictly forbidden. La Poesia Sorprendida was closed down in 1947 by the Trujillo regime. The activists' philosophy was as follows: "We are nourished by a national poetry in the universal, unique way of being itself; with classic yesterday, today, tomorrow, creating boundless, border less and permanent; and the mysterious man, universal world, secret, solitary and intimate, creator always."
Aída Cartagena Portalatín stands out as a universal voice that nevertheless speaks from a particular location in the Caribbean that is often overlooked by the world's educated peoples. Her work was philosophical as well as historical, reflecting a broad worldview, that encompassed themes such as feminism, colonialism, imperialism, as well as current events contemporary to her times. Her many trips to Europe, Latin America and Africa gave her the first-hand experiences that later turned into fuel and inspiration to write her literary pieces.
One of her most famous poems is "Una mujer está sola," which starts with the lines:
"Una mujer está sola. Sola con su estatura.
Con los ojos abiertos. Con los brazos abiertos.
Con el corazón abierto como un silencio ancho."
In another poem, she refers to the racial politics of the United States through a consideration of a Dominican mother: "de su vientre nacieron siete hijos/ que serían en Dallas, Memphis o Birmingham un problema racial / "
Cartagena Portalatín was a finalist in the prestigious Premio Seix Barral international literary award competition in Barcelona for her novel Escalera para Electra.
She published another famous poem, Yania Tierra, in 1981. Poema Documento, is the subtitle of this book-length poem, which traces the history of the Dominican Republic through the point of view of Yania Tierra, a female personification of the nation.
She also taught at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, in the fields of art history, colonial art and history of civilization.
Her poetry is anthologised in Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby.
Works
Vispera del Sueño: Poemas para un Atardecer, La Poesia Sorprendida, 1944. Llamale Verde, La Poesia Sorprendida, 1945.Mi Mundo el Mar, La Isla Necesaria, 1955.Una Mujer Está Sola, La Isla Necesaria, 1955.La Voz Desatada, Brigadas Dominicanas, 1962.La Tierra Está Escrita, Brigadas Dominicanas, 1967.Escalera para Electra, 1969.Fcall Narradores dominicanos: antología. Monte Ávila Editores, 1969. Dos técnicas cerámicas indonatillanas,, 1971 or 1972.Danza, música e instrumentos de los indios de la Española, Museo de Antopologia, Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, Facultad de Humanidades, 1974.Tablero: doce cuentos de lo popular a lo culto, Taller, 1978.Yania Tierra, Montesinos, 1981.En la Casa del Tiempo, Montesinos, 1984.La Tarde en Que Murio Estefania, Montesinos, 1984.Las Culturas Africanas: Rebeldes con Causa, Montesinos, 1986.La mujer en la literatura: homenaje a Aida Cartagena Portalatín. Editora Universal UASD, 1986.From Desolation to Compromise: A Bilingual Anthology of the Poetry of Aida Cartagena Portalatin, Montesinos, 1988.- Vispera del sueño al mundo. Feria del Libro José Martí, 1995.Aida Cartagena Portalatin: selección poética, Consejo Nacional de Educación, 2000.Obra poética completa: 1955-1984, Biblioteca Nacional de la República Dominicana, 2000.