José Coronel Urtecho facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
José Coronel Urtecho
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José Coronel Urtecho
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| Born | February 28, 1906 Granada, Nicaragua
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| Died | March 19, 1994 (aged 88) |
| Resting place | Los Chiles, Alajuela, Costa Rica |
| Nationality | Nicaraguan |
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| Spouse(s) | María Kautz Gross |
| Children | Twins: Manuel and Ricardo, José (disappeared in 1961), Christian († at 7), Luis, Blanca and Carlos |
| Relatives | Ernesto Cardenal, Edgar Chamorro |
José Coronel Urtecho (born February 28, 1906 – died March 19, 1994) was a famous writer from Nicaragua. He was a poet, a translator, and a historian. People often say he was "the most important thinker in Nicaragua during the 1900s." He changed his political ideas over time. In the 1930s, he supported a strong, single leader. Later, in 1977, he became a big supporter of the Sandinista National Liberation Front, a group that wanted big changes in Nicaragua.
Contents
Early Life and Education
José Coronel Urtecho was born in Granada, Nicaragua, on February 28, 1906. His parents were Manuel Coronel Matus and Blanca Urtecho Avilés. His father was a well-known politician, writer, and journalist. He held important jobs in the government, like Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In 1910, when José was only four years old, his father passed away. This happened after the United States sent President José Santos Zelaya away and entered Nicaragua. José was very sad about losing his father and never fully got over it.
José went to a Jesuit high school called Colegio Centro América. There, he started writing poems and analyzing books. His Catholic education had a strong impact on him. He stayed in touch with the Jesuit religious group for his whole life.
After high school, José, his mother, and his sister moved to San Francisco, California. In California, he discovered American poetry. He really admired poets like Walt Whitman and Edgar Allan Poe. He later translated their poems into Spanish.
The Vanguard Movement
José Coronel Urtecho returned to Granada in 1927. He began publishing his writings in a local newspaper called Nicaraguan Daily. When he was 20, he wrote a poem called “Ode to Ruben Dario.” This poem showed that he wanted to break away from the old style of writing called Modernism.
About a year later, in 1928, he helped start the Vanguard Literary Movement. He worked with other young Nicaraguan writers like Luis Alberto Cabrales and Joaquín Pasos Argüello. This movement lasted from 1927 to 1933. It brought new ideas and styles to Nicaraguan poetry and literature. It changed writing after many years of the Modernism style.
In 1928, José also helped start the weekly magazine Semana. He later started Criterio with his friend Dionisio Cuadra Benard. Magazines and newspapers were very important for the Vanguard writers to share their ideas. José published most of his work in these and other publications.
Political Journey and Public Service
José Coronel Urtecho's political views changed a lot over his life. At first, he did not follow his father's political path. He grew up in a conservative family on his mother's side. Because of this, he started as a very conservative politician. He even supported the idea of a single, strong leader for the country.
In 1934, when he was 28, he started the Reactionary Movement. He also launched a newspaper called La Reacción. In this newspaper, he and the Vanguard Movement supported the idea of Anastasio Somoza García leading Nicaragua forever. Somoza later started a long family rule over Nicaragua. José even wrote a public letter supporting this idea. Years later, he felt very sorry and ashamed of this letter.
The Vanguard writers believed Nicaragua needed a new culture. They wanted to mix old colonial traditions with native heritage. Influenced by strong-leader ideas, they suggested a big change for the country. They wanted to get rid of political parties and elections. Instead, they proposed having one president for life.
In 1935, José was elected to Congress. In 1938, he became the Sub Secretary of Education. Later, in 1948, he worked as a Cultural Attache in New York and Spain. This job meant he represented Nicaragua's culture in other countries.
While in Spain, he became good friends with the Spanish writer Luis Rosales. He also met Rosales's group of Vanguard friends. Through his own children and their opposition to Somoza, José's political views began to change.
In 1959, he stopped working in politics and diplomacy. He moved to live in the tropical forests near the San Juan River. This area is on the border of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. His wife grew up there, and they lived there for the rest of their lives. They are both buried there.
That same year, José Coronel Urtecho started writing about Nicaragua's history. He also became a strong critic of the Somoza family's rule. This was a big change, as he had once supported them.
He stayed retired, focusing on writing. He only visited the capital cities of Managua and San Jose for intellectual events.
In July 1960, he helped found the Universidad Centroamericana (UCA). This was the first private Catholic university in Central America. After his death, the university named its new library after him. Many of José's personal books and writings were given to the library.
His wife's farm, called “Las Brisas,” became a popular meeting place. Many writers and journalists visited there. The area became even more famous when his nephew, Ernesto Cardenal, started a religious and cultural community nearby in 1965. Cardenal also helped shape José's new political ideas.
In 1974, José was in Managua preparing some talks. During this time, he had a secret meeting with Carlos Fonseca Amador. Fonseca was the leader of the Sandinista movement. For about 12 hours, Fonseca talked to José about Nicaragua's problems. He reminded José of his past support for Somoza. He also urged José to now support ending Somoza's rule. This conversation deeply affected José. He kept it a secret until he published it in 1986.
After the Sandinista National Liberation Front led the 1979 Revolution in Nicaragua, José became a strong supporter of the new government. This revolution ended over 40 years of the Somoza family's control.
Marriage and Family Life
José Coronel Urtecho married María Kautz Gross. She was of German descent from Nicaragua. He wrote many of his best poems for her. Some of these poems include “The Hunter” and “Short biography of my wife.”
Maria's mother was Elisa Gross Barberena, and her father was Richard Kautz Groß. Maria grew up with her four sisters on their family farm. The farm was 14,000 hectares (about 34,600 acres) and was located along the San Juan River.
Maria had red hair, deep blue eyes, and was very strong. She had a powerful personality and surprising physical strength for a girl. By age 14, she was in charge of the farm. She knew how to use tools, drive a Caterpillar tractor, and was skilled at building things. She even built her own boats. She was as good as, or better than, any of the workers on the farm.
The Kautz Gross sisters often traveled by sailboat across Lake Nicaragua. They sailed from the small town of San Carlos to the city of Granada. There, they bought food and clothes, then sailed back to the farm.
One day in 1930, after José returned from California, he saw Maria for the first time. She was in Granada, building a boat on the lake shore. She was 22 years old. As usual, she was wearing pants, a white shirt, and a straw hat. She was smoking and walking among logs, choosing wood for her new boat. José asked who the "strange" girl was. He said it would be fun to ask her out. His friends laughed because all the young men in the city were afraid to ask her out. Those who did were turned down. José bet his hat that he would succeed in dating her.
Maria Kautz and José Coronel Urtecho married in 1931. Their wedding took place in the small church of San Carlos. They had seven children, six sons and one daughter. One son, Christian, died of cancer when he was a child. Another son, also named José, disappeared in 1961. He was studying in Germany during the Cold War. The rest of their children later supported the Sandinista movement. They also supported Nicaragua's 1979 Revolution, which ended the Somoza family's rule.
One of José's oldest twin sons, Manuel Coronel Kautz, is now Nicaragua's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is also in charge of the Nicaragua Great Canal project. This is the country's biggest economic plan. His other twin son, Ricardo Coronel Kautz, was part of a group called “The Group of Twelve.” This group was against Somoza. Both twins worked for the Agrarian Reform Institute from 1980 to 1989. Their youngest son, Carlos Coronel Kautz, was an important advisor to Edén Pastora. Pastora was a guerrilla leader who later left the Sandinistas in 1981.
José's nephews, Edgar Chamorro Coronel and Eduardo, supported the "Contras." This group fought against the Sandinistas in a civil war after the 1979 Revolution. The United States provided money to the Contras. Edgar and Eduardo are the sons of José's sister, Dolores “Lola” Coronel Urtecho.
José Coronel Urtecho also had a half-brother from his father's side, named Luis Coronel Matus (Jr.). Luis was only recognized by his father. His father took him away from his mother because they were not married. Luis lived with José and Lola when they were children. Luis has often been left out of his father's life story. Luis died in 1979.
Later Years and Death
José Coronel Urtecho spent his last years reading and writing. He lived in the small town of Los Chiles, Costa Rica. This town is close to Nicaraguan San Carlos.
In 1992, his wife Maria passed away from lung cancer. José's health quickly got worse after her death. He used to say she was his "anchor to earth." He had struggled with anxiety and mental health issues throughout his life. Once, Maria had to tie him to the mast of a boat to cross the lake. She took him to a clinic in Granada.
On March 19, 1994, José Coronel Urtecho died from skin cancer. He is now seen as one of Central America's most important poets of the 1900s. His remains and Maria's are buried in Los Chiles, Costa Rica.
Published Works
José Coronel's writings were spread out in many journals and newspapers. He later agreed to put some of them together in a book. This book was called Pol-la D’Ananta, Katanta, Paranta. It was published in 1970.
- Narciso (1938)
- La muerte del hombre símbolo (1938)
- Panorama y antología de la poesía norteamericana (1948)
- Chinfonía burguesa (1957)
- Rápido tránsito. Al ritmo de Norteamerica (1953, 1959)
- Reflexiones sobre la historia de Nicaragua (De Gainza a Somoza) (1962)
- Pol-la D'Ananta, Katanta, Paranta (1970, 1989, 1993)
- La familia Zavala y la política del comercio en Centroamérica (1971)
- Tres conferencias a la empresa privada (1974)
- Paneles de infierno (1981)
- Prosa reunida (1985)
- Siendo pintado por Dietr Mashur (1985)
- Conversación con Carlos (1986)
- Líneas para un boceto de Claribel Alegría (1989).
- Antología de poesía norteamericana -en colaboración con Ernesto Cardenal- 1963 y 2007, Editorial el perro y la Rana.
See also
In Spanish: José Coronel Urtecho para niños
- Movimiento de Vanguardia de Nicaragua
