Magali García Ramis facts for kids
Magali García Ramis (born in 1946 in Santurce, Puerto Rico) is a famous Puerto Rican writer. She is known for her stories and novels that explore family life and Puerto Rican culture.
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About Magali García Ramis
Magali García Ramis was born in 1946 in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. She grew up there with her parents and brothers. Her childhood was filled with close family ties, especially with her mother's side of the family. She spent a lot of time with her uncles, cousins, and grandmother.
Her father worked for the government at Fort Buchanan. Her mother first worked in her sister's laboratory. Later, she stayed home to take care of her children. Magali's oldest aunt, María Luisa Ramis, was a pioneer. She was the first woman in Puerto Rico to open a laboratory.
When Magali was a teenager, her family moved to Miramar, a nicer part of town. She and her older brother had to change schools. Magali went to the Academia del Perpetuo Socorro (Academy of Our Lady of Perpetual Help). She graduated from high school there.
Her Education and Writing Career
In 1964, Magali started studying history at the University of Puerto Rico. After she graduated, she began working for a newspaper called El Mundo.
In 1968, she received a special scholarship. This allowed her to move to New York City to study journalism at Columbia University. While in New York, she wrote her very first story. It was called "Todos los domingos," which means "Every Sunday."
This first story won her first prize in a writing contest. The contest was held by the Ateneo Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Athenaeum). Magali returned to Puerto Rico in 1971. She started working for another newspaper, El Imparcial, until 1972. She also worked for a literary magazine called Avance until 1973. During these years, she kept writing many short stories.
Magali García Ramis sent a collection of four short stories to a contest. This contest was sponsored by the Casa de las Américas in Cuba. She received an honorable mention for one of her stories. It was called "La viuda de Chencho el Loco" ("The Widow of Chencho, the Mad Man"). This story was published in 1974.
That same year, she moved to Mexico. She came back to Puerto Rico in 1977. Then, she published another book of short stories. It was titled La familia de todos nosotros (Our Whole Family). She also started teaching at the School of Communications at the University of Puerto Rico. She often wrote articles for several Puerto Rican newspapers.
Her famous novel, Felices días, tío Sergio (Happy Days, Uncle Sergio), was finished in 1985. It was published in 1986. This book is partly about her own life. In 1988, she received a special award called a Guggenheim Fellowship. This helped her write her second novel, Las horas del Sur (The Hours of the South).
In 1993, García Ramis published La ciudad que me habita (The City that Inhabits Me). This book is a collection of essays she wrote over the years. These essays appeared in newspapers like El Mundo, El Imparcial, Avance, Claridad, and La Hora.
Magali García Ramis feels a strong connection to her homeland, Puerto Rico. Her short stories, which she prefers to write more than novels, often explore family relationships. They also look at what it means to be Puerto Rican and the experiences of women. She is considered one of the most important writers of her generation. In 2009, she became a member of the Puerto Rican Academy of the Spanish Language. Today, she continues to work on writing and historical projects. She is also studying history at the Center for Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
Themes in Her Writing
Magali García Ramis's stories often show what Puerto Rican culture is like. They explore family life and the politics of the island. She writes about how family members interact with each other. She also focuses on what makes someone Puerto Rican and what it means to be a woman.
In her most famous novel, Happy Days, Uncle Sergio, she tells the story of a young Puerto Rican girl. The book explores her relationship with her uncle, who is a very interesting character.
Her Literary Works
Novels
- Felices días, tío Sergio
- Las horas del sur
Essays
- La ciudad que me habita
- La R de mi padre y otras letras familiares
- Los cerebros que se van y el corazón que se queda
- Hostos, bróder, esto está difícil
- El Chango como pájaro nacional
Short stories
- La familia de todos nosotros
- Las noches del riel de oro
- Una semana de siete días
- En la cabaña del tiempo escondido
See also
In Spanish: Magali García Ramis para niños
- List of Puerto Rican writers
- List of Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Rican literature
