Salomón de la Selva
Encyclopedia
Salomón de la Selva born in León
Nicaragua
on March 20, 1893 and died in Paris
, France
on February 5, 1959 was a Nicaragua
n poet and honorary member of the Mexican Academy of Language.
, Nicaragua
, son of Salomón Selva a lawyer who had fought against the dictator José Santos Zelaya
. When he was barely 12 years old his father was imprisoned and Salomón presented himself to President Zelaya during a visit to León and gave him a speech reminding him of human rights and those of a citizen which was enjoyed and well received by the president. Consequently Zelaya ordered his father's release and offered Salomon a scholarship to study in the United States
when he was barely 13 years old. He accepted the offer and studied at Williams College
in Williamstown, Massachusetts
, and was later employed as a Spanish language professor.
By winter 1914-15 he met Rubén Darío
in New York City
and accompanied him to a conference offered at Columbia University
on February 4, 1915. In New York, 1918, he published his first book of poetry: Tropical Town and Other Poems which was written in English. He frequented the literary circles of young New York poets with figures such as Stephen Vincent Benet
and Edna St. Vincent Millay
with whom it was said he had a love affair. He participated in World War I
serving the British
forces and from these experiences he wrote a book of poetry El soldado desconocido (The Unknown Soldier), written in Spanish and illustrated by Diego Rivera
, which was published in Mexico in 1922. He associated himself with the American labour movement
and became secretary to labor union leader Samuel Gompers
.
Between 1925 and 1929 he lived in Nicaragua and dedicated himself to the local syndicalism
activism of laborioust
tendency. He urged the affiliation of the Nicaraguan Worker's Federation (Federación Obrera Nicaragüense) to the Panamerican Worker's Central (Central Obrera Panamericana), which was affiliated to the American Federation of Labor
. By 1930 he had published articles supporting Augusto César Sandino
published in San José
, Costa Rica
through different media such as the Diario de Costa Rica and Repertorio Americano
of Joaquín García Monge
. and in 1935 he moved to Mexico City
, where he was able to influence Mexican politics; along with his brother Rogelio de la Selva, he was advisor to President Miguel Alemán Valdés
. Whilst in France, as a Nicaraguan ambassador, he died on February 5, 1959 in Paris
.
León, Nicaragua
León is a department in northwestern Nicaragua . It is also the second largest city in Nicaragua, after Managua. It was founded by the Spaniards as Santiago de los Caballeros de León and rivals Granada, Nicaragua, in the number of historic Spanish colonial homes and churches...
Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
on March 20, 1893 and died in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on February 5, 1959 was a Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
n poet and honorary member of the Mexican Academy of Language.
Biography
Salomón de la Selva was born on March 20, 1893 in LeónLeón, Nicaragua
León is a department in northwestern Nicaragua . It is also the second largest city in Nicaragua, after Managua. It was founded by the Spaniards as Santiago de los Caballeros de León and rivals Granada, Nicaragua, in the number of historic Spanish colonial homes and churches...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, son of Salomón Selva a lawyer who had fought against the dictator José Santos Zelaya
José Santos Zelaya
José Santos Zelaya López was the President of Nicaragua from 25 July 1893 to 21 December 1909.-Early life:He was a son of José María Zelaya Irigoyen, born in Nicaragua, and mistress Juana López Ramírez...
. When he was barely 12 years old his father was imprisoned and Salomón presented himself to President Zelaya during a visit to León and gave him a speech reminding him of human rights and those of a citizen which was enjoyed and well received by the president. Consequently Zelaya ordered his father's release and offered Salomon a scholarship to study in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
when he was barely 13 years old. He accepted the offer and studied at Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
in Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census...
, and was later employed as a Spanish language professor.
By winter 1914-15 he met Rubén Darío
Rubén Darío
Félix Rubén García Sarmiento , known as Rubén Darío, was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-American literary movement known as modernismo that flourished at the end of the 19th century...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and accompanied him to a conference offered at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
on February 4, 1915. In New York, 1918, he published his first book of poetry: Tropical Town and Other Poems which was written in English. He frequented the literary circles of young New York poets with figures such as Stephen Vincent Benet
Stephen Vincent Benét
Stephen Vincent Benét was an American author, poet, short story writer, and novelist. Benét is best known for his book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, John Brown's Body , for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1929, and for two short stories, "The Devil and Daniel Webster" and "By...
and Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American lyrical poet, playwright and feminist. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and was known for her activism and her many love affairs. She used the pseudonym Nancy Boyd for her prose work...
with whom it was said he had a love affair. He participated in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
serving the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
forces and from these experiences he wrote a book of poetry El soldado desconocido (The Unknown Soldier), written in Spanish and illustrated by Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera
Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez was a prominent Mexican painter born in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, an active communist, and husband of Frida Kahlo . His large wall works in fresco helped establish the Mexican Mural Movement in...
, which was published in Mexico in 1922. He associated himself with the American labour movement
Labour movement
The term labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labour...
and became secretary to labor union leader Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers was an English-born American cigar maker who became a labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor , and served as that organization's president from 1886 to 1894 and from 1895 until his death in 1924...
.
Between 1925 and 1929 he lived in Nicaragua and dedicated himself to the local syndicalism
Syndicalism
Syndicalism is a type of economic system proposed as a replacement for capitalism and an alternative to state socialism, which uses federations of collectivised trade unions or industrial unions...
activism of laborioust
Labour movement
The term labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labour...
tendency. He urged the affiliation of the Nicaraguan Worker's Federation (Federación Obrera Nicaragüense) to the Panamerican Worker's Central (Central Obrera Panamericana), which was affiliated to the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
. By 1930 he had published articles supporting Augusto César Sandino
Augusto César Sandino
Augusto Nicolás Calderón Sandino was a Nicaraguan revolutionary and leader of a rebellion against the U.S. military occupation of Nicaragua between 1927 and 1933...
published in San José
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
through different media such as the Diario de Costa Rica and Repertorio Americano
Repertorio Americano
Repertorio Americano was a cultural magazine published in San José, Costa Rica by Joaquín García Monge, on and off between 1919 and 1958. It was a significant forum of discussion for the Latin American intellectuals of the period. The editor considered the journalist to be a promoter of ideas and...
of Joaquín García Monge
Joaquín García Monge
Joaquín García Monge is considered one of Costa Rica's most important writers. He was born in Desamparados, Costa Rica in 1881 and was educated in both Costa Rica and Chile, where he fell under the influence of the leading literary currents of his time...
. and in 1935 he moved to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, where he was able to influence Mexican politics; along with his brother Rogelio de la Selva, he was advisor to President Miguel Alemán Valdés
Miguel Alemán Valdés
Miguel Alemán Valdés served as the President of Mexico from 1946 to 1952.-Life:Alemán was born in Sayula in the state of Veracruz as the son of General Miguel Alemán González and Tomasa Valdés Ledezma...
. Whilst in France, as a Nicaraguan ambassador, he died on February 5, 1959 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Poetry
- Tropical Town and Other Poems (1918)
- A Soldier Sings (1919)
- El soldado desconocido (1922)
- Evocación de Horacio, Canto a Mérida de Yucatán en la celebración de sus Juegos Florales (1947)
- La ilustre familia (1954)
- Canto a la Independencia de México (1955)
- Evocación de Píndaro (1957)
- Acolmixtli Netzahualcóyotl (1958)
Novels
- La guerra de Sandino o el pueblo desnudo, written in 1935, posthumously published in 1985.