John Figueroa
| John Figueroa | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Joseph Maria Figueroa 4 August 1920 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Died | 5 March 1999 (aged 78) Milton Keynes, England |
| Occupation | Poet, Teacher, Academic, Broadcaster |
| Nationality | Jamaican |
| Alma mater | College of the Holy Cross |
| Notable works | The Chase. A Collection of Poems 1941–1989 |
| Notable awards | Guggenheim Fellowship, Silver Musgrave Medal |
| Spouse | Dorothy Grace Murray Alexander |
| Children | 7 |
John Joseph Maria Figueroa (4 August 1920 – 5 March 1999) was a Jamaican poet and educator. He played a significant role in the development of Anglophone Caribbean literature both as a poet and an anthologist. He contributed to the development of the University College of the West Indies as an early member of staff, and had a parallel career as a broadcaster, working for various media organizations including the BBC. He also taught in Jamaica, Britain, the United States, Africa and Puerto Rico.
Figueroa was born in Jamaica, where he was educated at St George's College. He won a scholarship to attend Holy Cross College, Massachusetts, graduating in 1942, after which he taught at St George's College and at Wolmer Boys' College in Jamaica. In 1946 he went on a British Council fellowship to London University to study for a teaching diploma and a master's degree in education. He subsequently taught in some London schools, and spent six years as an English and philosophy lecturer at the Institute of Education. He also contributed criticism, stories and poetry to the BBC's Caribbean Voices radio programme produced by Henry Swanzy.
In Jamaica Figueroa became the first West Indian to be appointed to a chair at the University College of the West Indies, and the first Dean of the Faculty of Education. Between 1964 and 1966 he was a visiting professor first at Rhode Island University and then Indiana University. In the early 1970s he became Professor of Humanities leading the Department of Education of the Centro Caribeno de Estudios Postgraduados, Puerto Rico. He later spend time as a professor at the University of Jos in Nigeria.
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