American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 3 (1982) Winner
Tato Laviera
タト・ラヴィエラ
Tato Laviera
Aliases:
Jesús Abraham Laviera Sánchez / Jesús Laviera Sanches / Tato
Pen Names:
Tato（Nickname used by family and in his literary career）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1950-05-09 （Santurce, Puerto Rico）
- Died
- 2013-11-01 （Manhattan, New York, United States） age 63
- Nationality
- Puerto Rican
- Languages
- Spanish, English, Spanglish
- Religion
- Catholic
- Residence History
- Santurce, Puerto Rico (birth) → Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York City (from 1960) → East Harlem (Taino Towers, later residence)
Career
- Occupations
- poet, playwright, community organizer, creative writing professor
- Active Years
- 1970-2013
- Affiliations
- University of the Streets (director), Hispanic Drama Workshop (director), Rutgers University (creative writing professor)
- Influenced By
- Juan Boria, Nuyorican movement poets (e.g., Miguel Algarín)
- Influenced
- Martín Espada (Puerto Rican-American poet influenced by Nuyorican tradition), Nicholasa Mohr and subsequent Latino poets
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic school (United States) | — | — | — | 1960年代 - 1968年頃 | United States |
| Cornell University | — | — | — | 1968年前後（在籍） | United States |
| Brooklyn College | — | — | — | 1970年代（在籍） | United States |
Catholic school (United States)
Period:
1960年代 - 1968年頃
Country:
United States
Primary and secondary Catholic schooling. Teachers urged a name change during schooling.
Cornell University
Period:
1968年前後（在籍）
Country:
United States
Attended but did not receive a degree.
Brooklyn College
Period:
1970年代（在籍）
Country:
United States
Attended but did not receive a degree.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | American Book Award | Enclave | — | Before Columbus Foundation | winner |
American Book Award
1982
Work:
Enclave
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
La Carreta Made a U-Turn
1979 poetry 80 pagesA poetic response to René Marqués' La Carreta, challenging narratives of return migration and portraying the Puerto Rican migrant experience in the United States.
migrationcultural identitymyths of return
Enclave
1981 poetry 64 pagesA collection celebrating Puerto Rican heritage in New York through intimate portraits of individuals living in the Puerto Rican enclave.
communitynostalgiacultural continuity
Mainstream Ethics—Ética Corriente
1988 poetry 72 pagesA poetic exploration of the place of Hispanics in the United States, affirming Hispanic language, folklore, and culture as transformative rather than assimilated.
cultural resistanceidentitylanguage
AmeRícan
1999 poetry 120 pagesA collection that redefines nationality as a hybrid 'AmeRícan' identity, celebrating the blend of island and mainland traditions.
bicultural identitymulticulturalismpride
Mixturao and Other Poems
2008 poetry 96 pagesA bilingual collection blending English and Spanish that addresses gender, borders, folklore, and the experience of cultural hybridity.
code-mixingimmigrant experiencecultural alienation
Bibliography
- La Carreta Made a U-Turn (1979)
- Enclave (1981)
- Mainstream Ethics—Ética Corriente (1988)
- AmeRícan (1999)
- Mixturao and Other Poems (2008)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- bilingual (English/Spanish, Spanglish)oral-musical style (influenced by bomba and plena rhythms)performance-oriented delivery
- Recurring Motifs
- dual belonginglanguage and namesmemory of migration and community
Health
-
Diabetes mellitus成人期から晩年まで（2000年代に合併症が悪化）Complications from diabetes led to legal blindness in 2004 and interrupted his work; he later fell into a diabetic coma and died from complications.
Legacy
Tato Laviera was a leading figure of the Nuyorican poetry movement who gave voice to Puerto Rican communities in the United States. Known for bilingual language use and performance poetry, his work and community contributions have been archived and continue to influence Latino letters.
Museums
- Tato Laviera Theatre (renamed theatre) East Harlem, New York City (Taino Towers) Opened in 2014
Academic Societies
- Nuyorican movement (literary community)
Archives
- Tato Laviera Papers held at the Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora, Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños, Hunter College (CUNY)
In Popular Culture
- Honored by naming of a community theatre in New York; inclusion in anthologies and teaching curricula
Quotes
-
The most important aspect of my poems is the title; the words of the title are the ultimate essence.
Source: Interview / conversations (e.g., with William Luis) (1992)
Trivia
- Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico; moved to New York at age nine (some sources say ten).
- Won the 1982 American Book Award for Enclave.
- Declared legally blind in 2004 due to diabetes complications.
- Served as director of University of the Streets and Hispanic Drama Workshop.
- Died in Manhattan in 2013 from complications related to diabetes.