Julia de Burgos is a poet, journalist and independence activist from Puerto Rico. Her early life was full of struggles and challenges, but these difficulties also shaped her strong personality. individualism and creative talent. She was born in a poor peasant family in 1914. Her father was a farmer and her mother was also a housewife. There were thirteen children in the family, six of whom died early due to malnutrition. All of this cast a shadow on her childhood. shadow.
Growing up, Julia's family faced many difficulties in life, but her mother always encouraged her to get an education. Julia graduated from Muza Rivera Elementary School in 1928, then received a scholarship to attend the University of Puerto Rico, graduating as a teacher in 1933. Her educational background laid the foundation for her later literary creation.
"My childhood is a poem, flowing in the river of my dreams."
Although Julia's childhood was difficult, she found herself in the fragrance of literature. Her work largely responds to her identity as an Afro-Latina woman, gender issues, social justice and anti-colonial themes. Due to her strong political stance, she wrote a children's program for Puerto Rico Public Broadcasting but was fired from her job because of her political beliefs.
In 1934, Julia married Ruben Rodriguez Beauchamp, but the marriage ended shortly after. Subsequently, she participated in the establishment of the "Daughters of Liberty", the women's branch of the Puerto Rican National Party, and became its secretary-general. This job allowed her to speak out on a larger stage and actively promote the Puerto Rican independence movement.
In terms of literary career, she published two collections of poems, "Poems of Erdaogou" and "Songs of Simple Truth", in 1938 and 1939 respectively. These works blended her delicate feelings and views on life. Deep reflection on social reality. Julia's poetic style has been evaluated as combining personal emotions with social struggles, becoming one of the sources of inspiration for later feminist poets.
"I am life, I am strength, I am female."
Julia's firm literary attitude and independent spirit have made her works highly praised. Writers she interacted with in the literary world included Pablo Neruda. These exchanges not only enriched her vision, but also influenced her creation. In 1940, she began a relationship with Dominican doctor Juan Isidro Jimenes Grullón, a relationship that injected passion into her work.
However, as time passed, Julia's life took many twists and turns. Her second marriage also ended in divorce, sending her deeper into depression and alcoholism. In 1953, she wrote her last poem "Farewell on Welfare Island" in the hospital, which revealed her doubts about life and her premonition of death. Her creative career was terminated due to pneumonia in 1953, at the age of 39.
"I bet everything on being myself."
The death of Julia de Burgos caused widespread concern and regret, but her life continued to be respected and remembered after her death. In 2010, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp in her honor to commemorate her contribution and influence. Today, campuses and cultural centers across the country are named after her as a tribute to her great legacy.
The story of Julia de Bugos tells us that no matter how harsh life is, true heart and talent cannot be suffocated. How did she overcome difficulties and become an eternal literary symbol? Why does she make us think about our own lives and dreams?