María Bibiana Benítez

María Bibiana Benítez
Puerto Rico's first known female poet and playwrights.
Born	María Bibiana Benítez Constanza December 10, 1783 Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Died	April 18, 1873 San Juan
Occupation	poet, playwright
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Notable work(s)	Soneto, Diálogo Alegórico, A La Vejez
Relative(s)	Alejandrina Benítez de Gautier (niece); José Gautier Benítez (grand-nephew)

María Bibiana Benítez (December 10, 1783 – April 18, 1873), was Puerto Rico's first known female poet and one of its first playwrights.

Early years

Benitez, (born María Bibiana Benítez Constanza) was born into a middle class family in the town of Aguadilla. Her father Jose Benitez, was a lieutenant in the Spanish Army who on April 28, 1797 defended "La Puntilla" against an English invasion. He was married to Juana Bautista Benitez. Her family loved literature and owned a private library which contained a collection of the best books available at the time. Her father could afford such a luxury since he also held an important position within the Spanish colonial government. Benítez was able to attend the best private schools where she learned about poetry and composition.^[1]

In 1813, she moved to the coastal town of Luquillo, where she wrote the majority of her poems. In 1820, her brother Pedro Jose Benítez and his wife died and she took it upon herself to raise her orphaned niece Alejandrina Benítez de Gautier, who would in the future become a renowned poetess herself. Benitez was also the great-aunt of whom is considered to be the greatest Puerto Rican poet, Jose Gautier Benítez.^[1]

Literary works

In 1832, Benitez published her first poem, La Ninfa de Puerto Rico, which is considered to be the first poem written by a Puerto Rican woman. She also became the first Puerto Rican woman to write a dramatic play when she wrote La Cruz del Morro (The Cross of El Morro). The play was based on the attack of the city of San Juan by the Dutch with the intention of invading Puerto Rico in 1625 and the heroic defense by the islanders. This was the first dramatic play written in Puerto Rico dealing with a local historical event.^[1][2] Among her better known poems are: "Soneto" (1839), "Diálogo Alegórico" (1858) and "A La Vejez."

Later years

Benitez moved to the Calle Cristo in city of San Juan. In San Juan she presented her play and she also published the rest of her poems. Among her better known poems are "Soneto" (1839) and "Dialogo Alegorico" (1858). Maria Bibiana Benitez died on April 18, 1873 in San Juan Puerto Rico.^[3]

Books

There is a book written about her life titled "Los Silencios De Maria Bibiana Benitez" (English: The Silence of Maria Bibiana Benitez) by Maria Arrillaga.

See also

	Puerto Rico portal
	Biography portal
	Literature portal

• List of Latin American writers
• List of Puerto Rican writers
• List of Famous Puerto Ricans
• Puerto Rican literature
• Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} María Bibiana Benítez
2. ^ La Ninfa de Puerto Rico a la Justicia
3. ^ salonhogar

External links

• La Ninfa de Puerto Rico a la Justicia

Persondata
Name	Benitez, Maria Bibiana
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	December 10, 1783
Place of birth	Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Date of death	April 18, 1873
Place of death	San Juan