Rene Marques
| René Marqués | |
|---|---|
René Marqués
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| Born |
October 4, 1919 Arecibo, Puerto Rico |
| Died | March 22, 1979 (aged 59) San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Occupation | Writer, playwright |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Genre | Theatre, novels |
| Literary movement | Generación de los 40 |
| Notable works | La Carreta |
 You may view and listen to Acto 1 – Part 1 of René Marqués' "La Carreta" on YouTube
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René Marqués (October 4, 1919 – March 22, 1979) was a Puerto Rican short story writer and playwright.
Marqués was born, raised and educated in the city of Arecibo. He developed an interest in writing at a young age and was politically keen to support independence for the non-sovereign nation of Puerto Rico.
In the 1940s, Marqués wrote what is considered to be his best play, La Carreta (The Oxcart). In 1953, it opened in New York City. In 1954, it opened in San Juan and helped secure his reputation as a leading literary figure. The drama traces a rural Puerto Rican family as it moved to the slums of San Juan and then to New York in search for a better life, only to be disillusioned and to long for their island.
René Marqués was a figure of what was known in Puerto Rico as "La generación del 50" (The Generation of the 50's). This was an artistic and literary group of Puerto Rican intellectuals which included Francisco Matos Paoli, Francisco Arrivi, Abelardo Diaz Alfaro and Lorenzo Homar. In 1950, together with the other members of the group, Marqués worked for the Division of Community Education of Puerto Rico. Marqués however, did often come into conflict with Luis Muñoz Marín. He believed in complete Puerto Rican sovereignty and he often criticized Muñoz Marín, when he became governor, because of his acceptance of U.S. sovereignty over Puerto Rico.
In 1954, Puerto Rican director, Roberto Rodríguez, produced La Carreta, the play opened at the Church of San Sebastian, located in Manhattan, New York. The success of the play motivated Míriam Colón and Rodríguez to form the first Latino theater group with its own 60 seat theater, called "El Círculo Dramatico" (The Drama Circuit).
In 1955, Marqués wrote one of his later works, Juan Bobo y la Señora Occidental (Juan Bobo and the Lady of the Occident).
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