The Puerto Rican Literature Project

Violeta López Suria was born in 1926 in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico and died in 1995. She was a poet, short-story writer, essayist, playwright, and teacher. López Suria received a BA in secondary school education with a specialization in Spanish language and literature and an MA in Hispanic studies at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). In 1954, she became the editor of Lorca, a poetry magazine that ran for one year. From 1955 to 1956, she began doctoral studies at Columbia University in New York City before returning to Puerto Rico to join the faculty at the UPR campuses in Río Piedras and Mayagüez. In 1959, she continued her studies at the University of Madrid in Spain and earned her doctorate in philosophy and letters in 1961. López Suria's literary contributions include the poetry collections Gotas en mayo (1953), Elegía (Editorial Caribe, 1953), En un trigal de ausencia (Casa Baldrich, 1954), Sentimiento de un viaje (Editorial Intercontinental, 1955), Riverside (Casa Baldrich, 1955), and Poemas de la yerma virgen (1956). She also delved into playwriting with Mamita Pepa, a play that was televised in 1959. Throughout her career, López Suria received numerous accolades for her work. Her collection Unas cuantas estrellas en mi cuarto (Imp. Venezuela, 1957) earned third place in the annual poetry contest organized by the Círculo Cultural Yaucano. Her work Diluvio (1958) received an honorable mention from the same contest. Additional works that brought her recognition include La piel pegada al alma (Impr. Venezuela, 1962) which earned an award from the Instituto de Literatura Puertorriqueña, and Las nubes dejan sombras (1965), which received the Club Cívico de Damas award. López Suria also contributed to the magazines Bayoán; Poesía, artes y letras; Orfeo; Asomante; and El Mundo. 

Works Cited

Rivera de Alvarez, Josefina. “López Suria, Violeta.” Diccionario de literatura puertorriqueña, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriquena, ed. 2, no. 2, vol. 2, 1974, pp. 846-51. 

Vásquez, Carmen. “La poesía puertorriqueña del siglo XX.” Revista Nuestra América, no. 8, enero-julio 2010, pp. 169, https://bdigital.ufp.pt/bitstream/10284/2902/3/162-180.pdf.