Juana de Ibarbourou
Encyclopedia
Juana Fernández Morales Vd.ª De Ibarbourou, also known as Juana de América, (1892–1979) was a Uruguay
an poet
of Galician
origin. She was one of the most popular poets of Spanish America. Her poetry, the earliest of which is often highly erotic, is notable for her identification of her feelings with nature around her.
, Cerro Largo
, Uruguay. The date of Juana's birth is often given as March 8, 1895, but according to a local state civil registry signed by two witnesses, the year was actually 1892. Juana began studies at the José Pedro Varela
school in 1899 and moved to a religious school the following year, and two public schools afterwards. In 1909, at 17 years old, she published a prose piece, "Derechos femeninos" (female rights), beginning a lifelong career as a prominent feminist.
She married Captain Lucas Ibarbourou in a civil ceremony June 28, 1913, and had one child named Julio César Ibarbourou (b. 1917). In 1918, Juana moved to Montevideo
with her family. As was the custom, Juana and Lucas were re-married in a religious ceremony on June 28, 1921 in the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Aid (la iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro). Lucas Ibarbourou died January 13, 1942.
Juana de Ibarbourou died July 15, 1979 in Montevideo, Uruguay.
In "Rebelde", one of Ibarbourou's most richly constructed poems, Ibarbourou details a confrontation between herself and Charon
, the ferryman of the River Styx. Surrounded by wailing souls on the boat passage to the underworld
, Ibarbourou defiantly refuses to lament her fate, acting as cheerfully as a sparrow. Although Ibarbourou does not escape her fate, she wins a moral victory against the forces of death.
Like most poets, Ibarbourou nursed an intense fear of death. Though it is easy to surmise this from her poetry, she states so explicitly in the first line of "Carne Inmortal."
No sé de donde regresó el anhelo
De volver a cantar como en el tiempo
en que tenía entre mi puño el cielo
Y con una perla azul el pensamiento.
De una enlutada nube, la centella,
Súbito pez, hendió la noche cálida
Y en mí se abrió de nuevo la crisálida
Del verso alado y su bruñida estrella.
Ahora ya es el hino centelleante
Que alza hasta Dios la ofrenda poderosa
De su bruñida lanza de diamante.
Unidad de la luz sobre la rosa.
Y otra vez la conquista alucinante
De la eterna poesía victoriosa.
-Montevideo, 1960
Mi pequeño regalo de Pascuas para Nimia Vicens Madrazo,
en su espléndido San Juan de Puerto Rico. Afectuosamente. -Juana de Ibarbourou
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
of Galician
Galician people
The Galicians are an ethnic group, a nationality whose historical homeland is Galicia in north-western Spain. Most Galicians are bilingual, speaking both their historic language, Galician, and Castilian Spanish.-Political and administrative divisions:...
origin. She was one of the most popular poets of Spanish America. Her poetry, the earliest of which is often highly erotic, is notable for her identification of her feelings with nature around her.
Biography
She was born Juana Fernández Morales on March 8, 1895, in MeloMelo
Melo is the capital city of the Cerro Largo Department of north-eastern Uruguay. It is located at the centre of the department, on the intersection of Route 7 with Route 8, south of Aceguá and the border with Brazil. Other primary roads to the city are Route 26 and Route 44. The stream Arroyo...
, Cerro Largo
Cerro Largo Department
Cerro Largo Department is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Melo.-History:During the 19th and early 20th centuries, when intermittent periods of civil war occurred in Uruguay, the department was a stronghold of the Blanco party...
, Uruguay. The date of Juana's birth is often given as March 8, 1895, but according to a local state civil registry signed by two witnesses, the year was actually 1892. Juana began studies at the José Pedro Varela
José Pedro Varela
José Pedro Varela was an Uruguayan sociologist, journalist and politician. He was born in Montevideo....
school in 1899 and moved to a religious school the following year, and two public schools afterwards. In 1909, at 17 years old, she published a prose piece, "Derechos femeninos" (female rights), beginning a lifelong career as a prominent feminist.
She married Captain Lucas Ibarbourou in a civil ceremony June 28, 1913, and had one child named Julio César Ibarbourou (b. 1917). In 1918, Juana moved to Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
with her family. As was the custom, Juana and Lucas were re-married in a religious ceremony on June 28, 1921 in the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Aid (la iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro). Lucas Ibarbourou died January 13, 1942.
Juana de Ibarbourou died July 15, 1979 in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Feminism
Juana de Ibarbourou was an early Latin American feminist. Ibarbourou's feminism is evident in poems such as "La Higuera", in which she describes a fig tree as more beautiful than the straight and blooming trees around it, and "Como La Primavera", in which she asserts that authenticity is more attractive than any perfume. Also, in "La Cita", Ibarbourou extols her naked form devoid of traditional ornamentation, comparing her natural features to various material accessories and finding in favor of her unadorned body.Death
Ibarbourou's depiction of death in her poetry was not consistent throughout her body of work. In "La Inquietud Fugaz", Ibarbourou portrayed a binary, final death consistent with Western tradition. In "Vida-Garfio" and "Carne Inmortal", however, Ibarbourou describes her dead body giving rise to plant life, allowing her to live on.In "Rebelde", one of Ibarbourou's most richly constructed poems, Ibarbourou details a confrontation between herself and Charon
Charon (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon is the ferryman of Hades who carries souls of the newly deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. A coin to pay Charon for passage, usually an obolus or danake, was sometimes placed in or on...
, the ferryman of the River Styx. Surrounded by wailing souls on the boat passage to the underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
, Ibarbourou defiantly refuses to lament her fate, acting as cheerfully as a sparrow. Although Ibarbourou does not escape her fate, she wins a moral victory against the forces of death.
Like most poets, Ibarbourou nursed an intense fear of death. Though it is easy to surmise this from her poetry, she states so explicitly in the first line of "Carne Inmortal."
Example of her poetry
"RECONQUISTA" (Reconquest)No sé de donde regresó el anhelo
De volver a cantar como en el tiempo
en que tenía entre mi puño el cielo
Y con una perla azul el pensamiento.
De una enlutada nube, la centella,
Súbito pez, hendió la noche cálida
Y en mí se abrió de nuevo la crisálida
Del verso alado y su bruñida estrella.
Ahora ya es el hino centelleante
Que alza hasta Dios la ofrenda poderosa
De su bruñida lanza de diamante.
Unidad de la luz sobre la rosa.
Y otra vez la conquista alucinante
De la eterna poesía victoriosa.
-Montevideo, 1960
Mi pequeño regalo de Pascuas para Nimia Vicens Madrazo,
en su espléndido San Juan de Puerto Rico. Afectuosamente. -Juana de Ibarbourou
Published works
- Lenguas de diamante (1919)
- Raiz salvaje (1920)
- La rosa de los vientos (1930)
- Oro y tormenta (1956), biblical themes reflect her preoccupation with suffering and death.
- Chico Carlo (1944) contains her memoirs.
- Obras completas (3rd ed. 1968).
Awards and honors
- Medal of Public Instruction of Venezuela (1927)
- consecrated "Juana de América" in the Salon of the Lost Steps of the Legislative Palace of Montevideo (1929)
- Gold Medal of Francisco Pizarro (Peru, 1935)
- Order of the Condor of the AndesOrder of the Condor of the AndesThe Order of the Condor of the Andes is a medal of the Bolivian government.Instituted on April 12, 1925, the Order is awarded for exceptional merit, either civil or military, shown by Bolivians or foreign nationals...
(Bolivia, 1937) - Order of the Sun (Peru, 1938)
- President of the PEN Club of Uruguay (1941)
- Order of the Southern Cross (Brazil, 1945) (Ordem do Cruzeiro do Sul)
- Cross of the Commander of the Grand Humanitarian Prize of Belgium (1946)
- National Academy of Letters (Uruguay, 1947)
- Gold Medal from the Ministry of Public Instruction (Uruguay, 1948)
- Carlos Manuel Céspedes Order (Cuba, 1951)
- Named "Woman of the Americas" by the American Women's Union of New York (1953)
- Eloy Alfaro Order (Ecuador, 1953)
- National Grand Prize for Literature (Uruguay, 1959)
- Order of Quetzal (Guatemala, 1960)
- Plaza in La Paz, Bolivia named for Juana de Ibarbourou (1965)
- Branch of the Juana de Ibarbourou Library and House of Culture opened in home town of Melo (1977)
- La Fiesta de los Milagros(1943)
Works cited
- Sylvia Puentes de Oyenard. "Apuntes para una Biobibliografia de Juana de Ibarbourou." Foreword. Obras Escogidas. By Juana de Ibarbourou, ed. Sylvia Puentes de Oyenard. México, D.F.: Editorial Andres Bello, 1998.
Research resources
- Juana de Ibarbourou Papers, 1915-1960 (5 linear ft.) are housed in the Department of Special Collections and University Archives at Stanford University Libraries