Dr. Manuel Antonio Alonso Pacheco (October 6, 1822 – November 4, 1889) was a Puerto Rican writer, poet, journalist and physician. He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican writer of notable importance.

Early years

Alonso was born in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

. His father Juan Francisco Alonso was a Galician soldier and his mother María de África de Pacheco was a native of

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...

of Spanish origin. He received his primary education in Caguas and in the Ildefonso Seminary in San Juan. Alonso then went to the City of

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

where he enrolled in the

University of Barcelona The University of Barcelona (official name in ; UB), formerly also known as Central University of Barcelona (), is a public research university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was established in 1450. With 76,000 students, ...

to study medicine. He finished his medical studies in 1844 and practiced his profession in Barcelona.

Works

In 1845, he published a book called "El Gíbaro" ("The Jíbaro"). "El Gíbaro" was a collection of verses whose main themes were the humble Puerto Rican subsistence farmer and the customs of Puerto Rico.

Return to Puerto Rico

In 1848, Alonso returned to Puerto Rico and set up his medical office in the City of Caguas. He also became the director of the House of Benefit of

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

, until the day of his death. In collaboration with other notable writers of the day, he published the "Album Puertorriqueño" (Puerto Rican Album), which was the second

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

of poems to be published in the island. Alonso died in the City of San Juan on November 4, 1889. He was buried at Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery in San Juan.

Poet and journalist

As a writer, poet and journalist he derived his inspiration from anything that had to do with love and his country. Alonso cultivated his verses and gave them a touch festivality. Alonso was also a member of the Liberal Reform movement in Puerto Rico and directed that organizations publication, (The Agent). Among his poems are: * "", about Antonio de los Reyes Correa * * * * * * * * * * *

Short stories

Some of the short stories Alonso wrote include: * * * * * * * * Puerto Rico has honored his memory by naming schools and public buildings after him.

References