Pura Belpré
Pura Belpré | |
---|---|
Puerto Rican | |
Notable awards | New York Mayor's Award[1] |
Spouse |
Pura Teresa Belpré y Nogueras (February 2, 1899 – July 1, 1982) was an
Life
Belpré was born in
Librarianship
Belpré's career in the New York Public Library commenced in 1921,[3] and she pioneered the library's outreach within the Puerto Rican community.[1] However, like many of the Puerto Rican women who migrated to New York in the twentieth century, Belpré's first job was in the garment industry. Her Spanish language, community and literary skills soon earned her a position as Hispanic Assistant in a branch of the public library at 135th Street in Harlem, having been recruited and mentored by Ernestine Rose, head of the Harlem library. Belpré became the first Puerto Rican to be hired by the New York Public Library (NYPL).[1]
In 1925 she began her formal studies in the Library School of the
Literary career
Belpré's library career is intimately tied to her literary career. The first story she wrote and published was Pérez and Martina, a love story between a cockroach and a mouse. Belpré also collected many other folktales from Puerto Rico, translated them into English and had them published as children's literature.
In 1940, Belpré met her future husband, the African-American composer and violinist,
Belpré wrote the first major Juan Bobo story published in the United States, Juan Bobo and the Queen's Necklace: A Puerto Rican Folk Tale. It was published in 1962.[7]
Death
Belpré died on July 1, 1982,[4] having received the New York Mayor's Award for Arts and Culture that same year.[1] Her archives are held and maintained by the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College in New York.[3]
Legacy
The
In the Bronx, New York Public School 64 on Walton Avenue near 170th Street has been named after her.[9] In 2022, 109th Street and Lexington Avenue in East Harlem was named Pura Belpré Way.
A documentary film about the life and work of Pura Belpré was produced in 2011, and is available for viewing at the Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños at Hunter College.[10]
The Pura Belpré Papers, held at the Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora, Center for Puerto Rican Studies "are an important source for the study of Puerto Rican children's literature, folk tales, and legends. They are valuable for examining relationships between the Puerto Rican community and a major institution such as the New York Public Library. Additionally, the papers document the formation and organizational development of the Puerto Rican community in New York City."[11]
Bibliography of Belpré's works
- Books in English
- Perez and Martina: A Portorican Folktale (illustrated by Carlos Sanchez), Warne, 1932, new edition, 1961, published in Spanish, Viking (New York, NY), 1991.
- The Three Magi found in the anthology "The Animals' Christmas" by Anne Thaxter Eaton, 1944.[13]
- The Tiger and the Rabbit, and Other Tales (illustrated by Kay Peterson Parker), Houghton, 1946, new edition (illustrated by Tomie de Paola), Lippincott, 1965.
- Juan Bobo and the Queen's Necklace: A Puerto Rican Folk Tale (illustrated by Christine Price), Warne, 1962.
- Ote: A Puerto Rican Folk Tale (illustrated by Paul Galdone), Pantheon, 1969.
- Santiago (illustrated by Symeon Shimin), Warne, 1969.
- (With Mary K. Conwell) Libros en Espanol: An Annotated List of Children's Books in Spanish, New York Public Library, 1971.
- Dance of the Animals: A Puerto Rican Folk Tale (illustrated by P. Galdone), Warne, 1972.
- Once in Puerto Rico (illustrated by C. Price), Warne, 1973.
- A Rainbow-Colored Horse (illustrated by Antonio Martorell), Warne, 1978.
- Firefly Summer, Piñata Books (Houston, TX), 1996.
- The Stone Dog
- Translations into Spanish
- Munro Leaf, El Cuento de Ferdinand ("The Story of Ferdinand"), Viking, 1962.
- Crosby N. Bonsall, Caso del Forastero Hambriento ("Case of the Hungry Stranger"), Harper, 1969.
- Carla Greene, Camioneros: ¿Qué Hacen? ("Truck Drivers: What Do They Do?"), Harper, 1969.
- Syd Hoff, Danielito y el Dinosauro ("Danny and the Dinosaur"), Harper, 1969.
- Leonard Kessler, Aquí Viene el Ponchado ("Here Comes the Strikeout"), Harper, 1969.
- Else Holmelund Minarik, Osito ("Little Bear"), Harper, 1969.
- Millicent E. Selsam, Teresita y las Orugas ("Terry and the Caterpillar"), Harper, 1969.
- Paul Newman, Ningún Lugar para Jugar ("No Place to Play"), Grosset, 1971.
See also
- List of Latin American writers
- List of Puerto Rican writers
- List of Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Rican literature
- Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States
Additional sources
- Susan Heller, Anderson (May 21, 1982). "6 Patrons of the Arts Receive Mayor's Awards of Honor". New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. C7.
- Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2006. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2006. [1]
- Núñez, Victoria. Memory, History, and Latino Migrant Literary Practices and New Historical Perspectives on Puerto Rican Migrations to New York[incomplete short citation].
Notes
References
- ^ S2CID 140842291.
- ^ "Black History Month: Afro-Latina Pura Belpré gave children the precious love of books and stories". Daily Kos. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
- ^ ISSN 1538-6279. p.58.
- ^ ISBN 9780198035022.
- ^ a b c "How NYC's First Puerto Rican Librarian Brought Spanish to the Shelves". NPR.org.
- ^ a b "Pura Belpre - Biographical Notes". Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños, Hunter College CUNY.
- ISBN 9780253111692.
- ^ "About the Pura Belpré Award". American Library Association. 24 March 2021.
- ^ "P.S. 064 Pura Belpre - X064". New York City Department of Education.
- ^ "Pura Belpré Storyteller, Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños, Hunter College, 2011". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
- ^ Center for Puerto Rican Studies, website
- ^ "Pura Belpré Way Street Co-Naming". www.reforma.org. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- ^ "Pura Belpre | Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños". centropr.hunter.cuny.edu. Archived from the original on 2016-04-26. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
External links
- Quotations related to Pura Belpré at Wikiquote