Pedro Mir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pedro Mir
|
|
|---|---|
Pedro Mir
|
|
| Born |
Pedro Julio Mir Valentín
3 June 1913 San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
|
| Died | 11 July 2000 (aged 87) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
|
| Nationality | Dominican |
| Alma mater | Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo |
| Occupation | lawyer, writer, poet |
| Awards | Poet Laureate (1984) |
Pedro Julio Mir Valentín (born June 3, 1913, in San Pedro de Macorís; died July 11, 2000, in Santo Domingo) was a famous Dominican poet and writer. In 1984, the Congress of the Dominican Republic gave him the special title of Poet Laureate. This means he was recognized as the country's official poet. He was also part of a group called "Independent poets of the 1940s."
Pedro's father, Pedro Celestino Mir Burgal, was an engineer from Cuba. He moved to the Dominican Republic to work at a sugar factory. There, he married Jacoba Vicenta Valentín Mendoza, a young woman from Puerto Rico. They had a son, Pedro Julio.
Pedro Mir's Life and Work
Pedro Julio Mir grew up near a sugar factory in San Pedro de Macorís. His mother passed away in 1917 when he was very young. This sad event made him feel a deep sense of loss. He later said this feeling was why he became a poet.
In the early 1930s, Pedro Julio Mir started writing and sharing his poems. He published them in newspapers and showed them to his friends. One friend shared some of his poems with Juan Bosch, a well-known Dominican writer. Bosch saw that Pedro was talented. However, he told Pedro that he should write more about his own country.
Pedro decided to follow Bosch's advice. He wrote new poems about social issues and sent them to Bosch. Bosch quickly published these poems in his newspaper column, Listín Diario. He published them under the name Pedro Mir, dropping the "Julio." Bosch also wrote a question that later came true: "Is this young man the social poet we’ve been waiting for?"
Pedro Mir continued to write and study. In 1941, he earned a law degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD). He started working as a lawyer in Santo Domingo. However, the country was under the rule of a harsh leader, Trujillo. It was very difficult for anyone who cared about social issues.
Pedro's poems spoke out against the government. He received threats and felt his life was in danger. So, in 1947, he had to leave the country and go to Cuba. He lived in exile for sixteen years until the government changed in 1963. During this time, he traveled to many places but spent most of his time in Cuba.
While living in Cuba, Pedro Mir wrote his famous poem, "Hay un país en el mundo" (There is a country in the world). It was first published in Spanish in 1949. This poem has been translated into many different languages.
In 1952, he published Contracanto a Walt Whitman (canto a nosotros mismos) in Guatemala. This work is considered one of his best. Its title refers to Walt Whitman's famous poem, "Song of Myself". This poem has also been translated and studied around the world.
Pedro Mir returned to the Dominican Republic in 1963. This was when Juan Bosch was President. After Bosch's government was overthrown that same year, Pedro traveled again for a short time. He finally settled back in Santo Domingo with his family in 1968. He then became a professor of Aesthetics at the UASD.
Pedro Mir also spent time researching history. In 1974, his essay Las raíces dominicanas de la doctrina Monroe (The Dominican Roots of the Monroe Doctrine) won an award. It received the Annual History Award from the Secretary of Education.
In 1975, his poem El huracán Neruda (The Hurricane Neruda) also won an award. It received the Annual Poetry Award from the Secretary of Education.
His only novel, Cuando amaban las tierras comuneras (When They Loved the Communal Land), came out in Mexico in 1978. This book was highly praised in the Dominican Republic and internationally.
In 1984, the Dominican Congress officially named him "Poet Laureate of the Dominican Republic." This was a great honor for his work.
In 1991, Pedro Mir traveled to New York. He received an honorary doctorate degree from Hunter College of the City University of New York. This special degree is called honoris causa.
In 1993, he received the Dominican National Literature Award. This award recognized all of his amazing work throughout his life.
Pedro Mir passed away peacefully on July 11, 2000, at the age of 87. He was surrounded by his family. A metro station in Santo Domingo is named after him to honor his memory.
List of Works
- Hay un país en el mundo (1949)
- Contracanto a Walt Whitman (1952)
- Seis momentos de esperanza (1953)
- Poemas de buen amor y a veces de fantasía (1969)
- Amén de mariposas (1969)
- Tres leyendas de colores (1969)
- El gran incendio (1969)
- Viaje a la muchedumbre (1971)
- Apertura a la estética (1974)
- Las raíces dominicanas de la doctrina Monroe (1974)
- El huracán Neruda (1975)
- La gran hazaña de Límber y después otoño (1977)
- Cuando amaban las tierras comuneras (1978)
- Fundamentos de teoría y crítica del arte (1979)
- La noción del período en la historia dominicana (1981)
- ¡Buen viaje, Pancho Valentín! (Memorias de un marinero) (1981)
- Historia del hambre en la República Dominicana (1987)
- Estética del soldadito (1991)
- El lapicida de los ojos morados (1991)
- Primeros versos (1993)
- Ayer menos cuarto y otras crónicas (2000)
- Letras dispersas (2013)
See also
In Spanish: Pedro Mir para niños
