Background

Ethnicity: Antonio's father was a Spaniard and his mother was Puerto Rican.

Antonio Salvador Pedreira was born on June 13, 1899, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, into a prosperous family of Alberto Pedreira and Isabel Pedreira. However, both of Antonio's parents died, when he was a boy, and he was reared by his godparents in Caguas.

Education

During the period, when Antonio attended primary and secondary schools, he developed an interest in the art of writing stories. After finishing high school, Pedreira enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico, graduating with a teaching degree in 1920. The same year, he entered Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, from which he soon dropped out due to financial problems and came back to Puerto Rico.

In Puerto Rico, Pedreira was granted a scholarship by the government and attended the University of Puerto Rico once again. In 1925, he graduated from the university with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Then, he decided to continue his higher education and in 1928, Antonio received a Master of Arts degree in Letters from Columbia University.

Some time later, Antonio left for Spain, where he entered the Complutense University of Madrid, graduating with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Philosophy and Letters in 1932.

Career

After graduation from the Complutense University of Madrid, Antonio came back to his native Puerto Rico, where he was then appointed a Professor of Spanish Literature and head of Department of Spanish Studies at the University of Puerto Rico. Between 1935 and 1936 he served as Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico. Also, during his career, Pedreira held the post of a Professor of Spanish Literature at Columbia University and acted as president of the Centro de Investigaciones Sociales.

During his lifetime, Antonio penned a number of books, including "Un Hombre del Pueblo: Jose Celso Barbosa" (1921), "Aristas: Ensayos" (1930), "Bibliografia Puertorriquena (1493-1930)" (1932), "Hostos: Ciudadano de America" (1932), "Insularismo: Ensayos de Interpretacion Puertorriquena" (1934), among others. He also contributed to periodicals, including El Mundo, and was among those few scholars, who studied the work of Eugenio María de Hostos.

It's worth noting, that, together with Alfredo Collado Martell, Samuel R. Quiñones and Vicente Geigel Polanco, Antonio co-founded and co-edited the magazine, titled "Indice".

Achievements

• Antonio Salvador Pedreira was a leading Puerto Rican essayist of the 20th century, as well as a highly respected author, critic and educator. He was best known for his work, titled "Insularismo: Ensayos de Interpretacion Puertorriquena" (1934), in which he explored the meaning of being Puerto Rican. In this book, he also talks about the cultural survival of the Puerto Rican identity after the island was invaded by the United States.
  
  Puerto Rico has honored Antonio's memory by naming a school and the main avenue after him. In addition, many associations recognized his importance in the Puerto Rican culture. It was in 1940, that Phi Sigma Alpha Fraternity began giving the annual "Premio Antonio S. Pedreira" award to the most outstanding student in Puerto Rican Literature at the University of Puerto Rico.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Un Hombre del Pueblo: Jose Celso Barbosa

    (This work represents a biography of Jose Celso Barbosa, P...)

    1921
  • Aristas: Ensayos 1930
  • Bibliografia Puertorriquena (1493-1930) 1932
  • Hostos: Ciudadano de America 1932
  • Insularismo: Ensayos de Interpretacion Puertorriquena 1934

Politics

Antonio was a member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist movement and an open advocate for Puerto Rico's independence.

Views

Pedreira believed, that Puerto Rico was in danger of losing its cultural identity and expressed his beliefs in a daily column, titled "Aclaraciones y críticas" (Clarification and criticism), published in El Mundo newspaper.

Membership

Pedreira was an active member of Phi Eta Mu Fraternity.

Connections

Antonio married Marietta Negron in 1927.

Father:

Alberto Pedreira

Mother:

Isabel Pedreira

Wife:

Marietta Negron

colleague:

Alfredo Collado Martell

colleague:

Samuel R. Quiñones

colleague:

Vicente Geigel Polanco