Francisco Matos Paoli
Encyclopedia
Francisco Matos Paoli March 9, 1915 - July 10, 2000), was a poet, critic, and essayist who in 1977 was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature
. Paoli was also a Secretary General of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
and a renowned Puerto Rican patriot. In 1950 he was imprisoned for having a Puerto Rican Flag in his home, and for speaking on behalf of Puerto Rico's independence.
, a town which is historically known for El Grito de Lares, Puerto Rico's first rebellion for independence.
His mother, whom he considered his greatest inspiration, died in 1930 when he was 15 years old. The death of his mother compelled him to write his first collection of poems, titled Signario de Lágrimas, which was published in 1931.
Paoli received his primary and secondary education in his hometown. In high school he dedicated most of his time to reading classical literature. It was during his youth that he met Pedro Albizu Campos
and became inspired to join the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
in its struggle for Puerto Rico's independence.
In 1933, Paoli met fourteen year old Lolita Lebrón
, during the celebration of her baptism into the Catholic faith. Soon, Paoli became Lebron's first boyfriend and they would often write letters to each other where they exchanged the poetry that they wrote. Paolí's family opposed their relationship because they considered Lebrón a jíbara
(peasant). Her father also opposed this relationship and ordered her to stop writing to Paoli. However, they both continued to write to each other until he moved to San Juan
to continue his education.
Matos Paoli enrolled at the Polytechnical School of the University of Puerto Rico
and earned his Bachelor's degree in education with a major in Spanish. Lebrón, who became a nationalist herself and led the 1954 attack against the United States House of Representatives
, moved to San Juan, where she studied sewing and continued her romantic relationship with Paoli. The relationship ended when Paoli continued his postgraduate studies in the UPR and moved to Paris, France for a year to study comparative literature at the Sorbonne
. In 1937, he published his second collection of poems titled Cardo Labriego. During this time he met Isabel Freire Meléndez, a fellow independence advocate who in 1942 became his wife. After he earned his Master's degree in Spanish literature
, he returned to Puerto Rico and in 1943 began a professorship in the Humanities Department of his alma mater, the University of Puerto Rico. He also became involved in spiritualism
and founded a spiritualist center called Luz y Progreso (Light and Progress).
, signed the infamous Ley de la Mordaza (Gag Law) or Law 53, as it was officially known. Initiated by the Puerto Rican legislature, this law made it illegal to display the Puerto Rican Flag
, sing a patriotic song, talk of independence, or fight for the liberation of the island. It resembled the anti-Communist Smith Law
passed in the United States. In 1949, the Nationalist Party held an assembly in the town of Arecibo
and named Paoli Secretary General of the party. Some of his duties as Secretary General of the party included the presentation of patriotic speeches. Due to Law 53, these duties placed Paoli on a collision course with the U.S. government.
In September 1950, Paoli traveled to the towns of Cabo Rojo
, Santurce, Guánica
and Lares
, where he participated in Nationalist activities. On October 30, the Nationalists staged uprisings in the towns of Ponce
, Mayagüez
, Naranjito
, Arecibo
, Utuado
(Utuado Uprising
), San Juan (Nationalist attack of San Juan
), and Jayuya
(Jayuya Uprising
). On November 2, 1950, the police arrived at Paoli's home in Río Piedras and searched for guns and explosives. The only thing they found was a Puerto Rican flag but, due to Law 53 (the Gag Law), this enabled them to arrest and accuse Paoli of treason against the United States. The evidence used against him was the Puerto Rican flag in his home, and four speeches he'd made in favor of Puerto Rican independence.
On the basis of this "evidence" Paoli was fired from his professorship at the University of Puerto Rico, and sentenced to a twenty-year prison term, which was later reduced to ten years. In jail, he shared his cell with Pedro Albizu Campos. Campos suffered from ulcerations on his legs and body caused by radiation, and Paoli tended to his needs.
In 1951, he published a collection of poems in a book which he titled Luz de los Héroes (The Light of Heroes), which spoke about the reality of the Puerto Rican struggle for freedom. Paoli's poetry also covered other aspects of human existence such as religion, mystic and spiritual experiences, love, death, solitude, social justice, suffering, freedom, the landscape, and his fellow Puerto Ricans.
Paoli was released on probation on January 16, 1952.
. Lebron stood up and shouted "¡Viva Puerto Rico Libre!" ("Long Live a Free Puerto Rico!") and unfurled the flag of Puerto Rico
. Subsequently the group opened fire with automatic pistol
s. The U.S. government ordered the wholesale arrest of Nationalist Party members including Paoli, who was not involved in the incident. Upon his incarceration in Rio Piedras prison without any visitor's privileges, Paoli initiated a hunger strike. On May 26, 1955, after ten months in jail and in poor health, Paoli was finally pardoned by Puerto Rican Governor Luis Muñoz Marín
.
, Modernism
, and Postmodernism
. Amongst his many published works are the following:
, Spain. He also attended, by invitation, the eighth World Congress of Poets in Athens
, Greece in 1985. Among the magazines which published his essays were Asomante, Puerto Rico Ilustrado, and Alma Latina. In 1989, the Manati Foundation of Art and Culture of the town of Manati
, dedicated their annual Juegos Florales (Poetry Pageants) to Paoli.
Paoli lived with his wife Isabel Freire Meléndez de Paoli (1915–2004), herself a renowned educator and journalist, in San Juan. He became ill and was hospitalized at the Hospital del Maestro in Hato Rey, where he died on July 10, 2000.
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
. Paoli was also a Secretary General of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican independence and he...
and a renowned Puerto Rican patriot. In 1950 he was imprisoned for having a Puerto Rican Flag in his home, and for speaking on behalf of Puerto Rico's independence.
Early years
Paoli was one of nine siblings born and raised on the family farm in the town of LaresLares, Puerto Rico
Lares is a small mountain municipality of Puerto Rico's central-western area located north of Maricao and Yauco; south of Camuy, east of San Sebastián and Las Marias; and west of Hatillo, Utuado and Adjuntas. Lares is spread over 10 wards and Lares Pueblo...
, a town which is historically known for El Grito de Lares, Puerto Rico's first rebellion for independence.
His mother, whom he considered his greatest inspiration, died in 1930 when he was 15 years old. The death of his mother compelled him to write his first collection of poems, titled Signario de Lágrimas, which was published in 1931.
Paoli received his primary and secondary education in his hometown. In high school he dedicated most of his time to reading classical literature. It was during his youth that he met Pedro Albizu Campos
Pedro Albizu Campos
Don Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican politician and one of the leading figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the leader and president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death...
and became inspired to join the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican independence and he...
in its struggle for Puerto Rico's independence.
In 1933, Paoli met fourteen year old Lolita Lebrón
Lolita Lebrón
Dolores "Lolita" Lebrón Sotomayor was a Puerto Rican nationalist who wasconvicted of attempted murder and other crimes after leading an assault on the United States House of Representatives in 1954,...
, during the celebration of her baptism into the Catholic faith. Soon, Paoli became Lebron's first boyfriend and they would often write letters to each other where they exchanged the poetry that they wrote. Paolí's family opposed their relationship because they considered Lebrón a jíbara
Jíbaro
Jíbaro is a term from the Taíno words "jiba" and "ro", that means forest people, commonly used in Puerto Rico to refer to mountain-dwelling peasants, but in modern times it has gained a broader cultural meaning.-History:...
(peasant). Her father also opposed this relationship and ordered her to stop writing to Paoli. However, they both continued to write to each other until he moved to San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
to continue his education.
Matos Paoli enrolled at the Polytechnical School of the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
and earned his Bachelor's degree in education with a major in Spanish. Lebrón, who became a nationalist herself and led the 1954 attack against the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, moved to San Juan, where she studied sewing and continued her romantic relationship with Paoli. The relationship ended when Paoli continued his postgraduate studies in the UPR and moved to Paris, France for a year to study comparative literature at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
. In 1937, he published his second collection of poems titled Cardo Labriego. During this time he met Isabel Freire Meléndez, a fellow independence advocate who in 1942 became his wife. After he earned his Master's degree in Spanish literature
Spanish literature
Spanish literature generally refers to literature written in the Spanish language within the territory that presently constitutes the state of Spain...
, he returned to Puerto Rico and in 1943 began a professorship in the Humanities Department of his alma mater, the University of Puerto Rico. He also became involved in spiritualism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
and founded a spiritualist center called Luz y Progreso (Light and Progress).
Nationalist and poet
Paoli's political activities and beliefs influenced his literary work. On June 11, 1948, the U.S.-appointed Governor of Puerto Rico, Jesús T. PiñeroJesus T. Piñero
Jesús Toribio Piñero Jiménez was the first native Puerto Rican to be appointed governor of Puerto Rico by the Government of the United States.-Early years:...
, signed the infamous Ley de la Mordaza (Gag Law) or Law 53, as it was officially known. Initiated by the Puerto Rican legislature, this law made it illegal to display the Puerto Rican Flag
Flag of Puerto Rico
The flags of Puerto Rico represent and symbolize the island and people of Puerto Rico. The most commonly used flags of Puerto Rico are the current flag, which represents the people of the commonwealth of Puerto Rico; municipal flags, which represent the different regions of the island; political...
, sing a patriotic song, talk of independence, or fight for the liberation of the island. It resembled the anti-Communist Smith Law
Smith Act
The Alien Registration Act or Smith Act of 1940 is a United States federal statute that set criminal penalties for advocating the overthrow of the U.S...
passed in the United States. In 1949, the Nationalist Party held an assembly in the town of Arecibo
Arecibo
Arecibo may refer to:*Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a municipality located by the Atlantic Ocean*Arecibo Observatory, a very sensitive radio telescope located approximately south-southwest from the city of Arecibo...
and named Paoli Secretary General of the party. Some of his duties as Secretary General of the party included the presentation of patriotic speeches. Due to Law 53, these duties placed Paoli on a collision course with the U.S. government.
In September 1950, Paoli traveled to the towns of Cabo Rojo
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo is a municipality situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico and forms part of the San Germán–Cabo Rojo metropolitan area as well as the larger Mayagüez–San Germán–Cabo Rojo Combined Statistical Area....
, Santurce, Guánica
Guánica, Puerto Rico
Guánica is a municipality in southwestern Puerto Rico located on southern coast, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Sabana Grande, east of Lajas, and west of Yauco. It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area....
and Lares
Lares, Puerto Rico
Lares is a small mountain municipality of Puerto Rico's central-western area located north of Maricao and Yauco; south of Camuy, east of San Sebastián and Las Marias; and west of Hatillo, Utuado and Adjuntas. Lares is spread over 10 wards and Lares Pueblo...
, where he participated in Nationalist activities. On October 30, the Nationalists staged uprisings in the towns of Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
, Mayagüez
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
, Naranjito
Naranjito, Puerto Rico
Naranjito is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central region of the island, south of Toa Alta; north of Barranquitas and Comerío; east of Corozal; and west of Bayamón. Naranjito is spread over 15 wards and Naranjito Pueblo...
, Arecibo
Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Arecibo is a municipality in the northern midwest coast of Puerto Rico and located by the Atlantic Ocean, north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta, and Florida. Arecibo is spread over 18 wards and Arecibo Pueblo...
, Utuado
Utuado, Puerto Rico
Utuado is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central-western mountainous region of the island known as La Cordillera Central. It is located north of Adjuntas and Ponce; south of Hatillo and Arecibo; east of Lares; and west of Ciales and Jayuya. In land area it is the third-largest...
(Utuado Uprising
Utuado Uprising
The Utuado Uprising, also known as the Utuado Revolt or El Grito de Utuado, refers to the revolt against the United States government in Puerto Rico which occurred on October 30, 1950 in various localities in Puerto Rico and which in Utuado culminated in the "Utuado massacre".-Events leading to the...
), San Juan (Nationalist attack of San Juan
Nationalist attack of San Juan
The Nationalist attack of San Juan was one of many uprisings against United States Government rule which occurred in Puerto Rico on October 30, 1950 during the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party revolts...
), and Jayuya
Jayuya, Puerto Rico
Jayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...
(Jayuya Uprising
Jayuya Uprising
The Jayuya Uprising, also known as the Jayuya Revolt or El Grito de Jayuya, refers to a nationalist revolt in the town of Jayuya, Puerto Rico which occurred on October 30, 1950...
). On November 2, 1950, the police arrived at Paoli's home in Río Piedras and searched for guns and explosives. The only thing they found was a Puerto Rican flag but, due to Law 53 (the Gag Law), this enabled them to arrest and accuse Paoli of treason against the United States. The evidence used against him was the Puerto Rican flag in his home, and four speeches he'd made in favor of Puerto Rican independence.
On the basis of this "evidence" Paoli was fired from his professorship at the University of Puerto Rico, and sentenced to a twenty-year prison term, which was later reduced to ten years. In jail, he shared his cell with Pedro Albizu Campos. Campos suffered from ulcerations on his legs and body caused by radiation, and Paoli tended to his needs.
Political prisoner
While in prison, Paoli edited a newspaper which included news of political prisoners, poems, patriotic songs and drawings. During his confinement he suffered from hallucinations which resulted in a mental breakdown and he was sent to a Psychiatric hospital. After his recovery, he wrote Canto a Puerto Rico (I Sing to Puerto Rico), and resumed his involvement with spiritual mysticism and Christianity.In 1951, he published a collection of poems in a book which he titled Luz de los Héroes (The Light of Heroes), which spoke about the reality of the Puerto Rican struggle for freedom. Paoli's poetry also covered other aspects of human existence such as religion, mystic and spiritual experiences, love, death, solitude, social justice, suffering, freedom, the landscape, and his fellow Puerto Ricans.
Paoli was released on probation on January 16, 1952.
Nationalists attack the U.S. House of Representatives
On March 1, 1954 Lolita Lebrón, together with three other members of the Nationalist Party, entered the visitor's gallery above the chamber in the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Lebron stood up and shouted "¡Viva Puerto Rico Libre!" ("Long Live a Free Puerto Rico!") and unfurled the flag of Puerto Rico
Flag of Puerto Rico
The flags of Puerto Rico represent and symbolize the island and people of Puerto Rico. The most commonly used flags of Puerto Rico are the current flag, which represents the people of the commonwealth of Puerto Rico; municipal flags, which represent the different regions of the island; political...
. Subsequently the group opened fire with automatic pistol
Automatic pistol
Automatic pistol may refer to:* Machine pistol, a handgun-style, magazine-fed and self-loading firearm, capable of fully automatic or burst fire, and chambered for pistol cartridges...
s. The U.S. government ordered the wholesale arrest of Nationalist Party members including Paoli, who was not involved in the incident. Upon his incarceration in Rio Piedras prison without any visitor's privileges, Paoli initiated a hunger strike. On May 26, 1955, after ten months in jail and in poor health, Paoli was finally pardoned by Puerto Rican Governor Luis Muñoz Marín
Luis Muñoz Marín
Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...
.
Written works
Paoli was named resident poet of University of Puerto Rico and served as lecturer. In 1977, the Department of Hispanic Studies at the UPR campus in Mayagüez nominated him for the Nobel Prize in literature in recognition of his substantial contribution to world literature. His critics consider his books rooted in three major literary movements in Latin America: RomanticismRomanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
, Modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
, and Postmodernism
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
. Amongst his many published works are the following:
- Canto a Puerto Rico (1952) "I Sing to Puerto Rico"
- Luz de los Héroes (1954) "Light of Heroes"
- Criatura de Rocío (1958) "Creature of Mist"
- Canto a la Locura (1962) "Song to the Madness"
- El Viento y la Paloma (1969) "The Wind and the Pigeon"
- Cancionera (1970) "Song Book"
- La Marea Sube (1971) "The Raising Waves"
- Cancionero II (1972) "Song Book Pt.2"
- Rostro en la Estrella (1973) "A Face in the Star"
- Isla para los Niños (1981) "Island for Children"
- Hacia el Hondo Vuelo (1983) "Towards the Deep Flight"
- Decimario de la Virgen (1990) "A Vigil for the Virgin"
Audio
Note: You may listen to Francisco Matos Paoli's ""Invocación a la Patria"" as interpreted in song by Grupo Otoquí http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be4-4HVouLshereLater years
Paoli and Lebron remained lifelong friends and he wrote the forward to one of her books of poems. In July 1982, Paoli was selected as one of fifty poets to attend the Sixth World Congress of Poets held in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain. He also attended, by invitation, the eighth World Congress of Poets in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece in 1985. Among the magazines which published his essays were Asomante, Puerto Rico Ilustrado, and Alma Latina. In 1989, the Manati Foundation of Art and Culture of the town of Manati
Manatí, Puerto Rico
Manatí is a municipality of Puerto Rico in the northern coast, north of Morovis and Ciales; east of Florida and Barceloneta; and west of Vega Baja. Manatí is spread over 8 wards and Manatí Pueblo...
, dedicated their annual Juegos Florales (Poetry Pageants) to Paoli.
Paoli lived with his wife Isabel Freire Meléndez de Paoli (1915–2004), herself a renowned educator and journalist, in San Juan. He became ill and was hospitalized at the Hospital del Maestro in Hato Rey, where he died on July 10, 2000.
See also
- Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950sPuerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950sThe Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s was a call for independence and uprising by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party against United States Government rule of Puerto Rico and against the approval of the creation of the political status "Free Associated State" for Puerto Rico which...
- List of Puerto Rican writers
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Rican literature