Soto Vélez, Clemente, 1905-1993

Clemente Soto Vélez was a ground-breaking poet and one of the most significant and revered contemporary Puerto Rican writers. He was a mentor to many of the young artists and writers of his time. Born in 1905 in Lares, a town known for its rebellious spirit, as a young man in Puerto Rico, Soto Vélez was a founding member of a vanguard literary group called " El atalaya de los dioses" (The Watchtower of the Gods). The bold young poets calling themselves atalayistas transformed the literary world of the 1930s in Puerto Rico. Soto Vélez' pro-independence views led him to membership in the Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico (The Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico) and in 1936 he was imprisoned along with other militants for their political activities. After his release from prison in 1942, he settled in New York City, where he quickly became involved in diverse cultural and business organizations. He was a founder of the Puerto Rican Merchants Association (1945) and a member of the Ateneo Puertorriqueño and the Circulo de Escritores y Poetas Iberoamericanos. His wife, Amanda Vélez was deeply engaged in his work and was also a political activist and a promoter of artists and artistic events. Soto Vélez died in Puerto Rico on April 15, 1993.

From the description of Papers, 1924-1996. (Centro de Estudios Puertorriquenos). WorldCat record id: 52421567

Clemente Soto Vélez was a ground-breaking poet and one of the most significant and revered contemporary Puerto Rican writers. He was a mentor to many of the young artists and writers of his time. Born in 1905 in Lares, a town known for its rebellious spirit, as a young man in Puerto Rico, Soto Vélez was a founding member of a vanguard literary group called " El atalaya de los dioses" (The Watchtower of the Gods). The bold young poets calling themselves atalayistas transformed the literary world of the 1930s in Puerto Rico.

Soto Vélez's pro-independence views led him to membership in the Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico (the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico) and in 1936 he was imprisoned along with other militants for their political activities. After his release from prison in 1942, he settled in New York City, where he quickly became involved in diverse cultural and business organizations. He was a founder of the Puerto Rican Merchants Association (1945) and a member of the Ateneo Puertorriqueño and the Circulo de Escritores y Poetas Iberoamericanos. His wife Amanda Vélez was deeply engaged in his work and was also a political activist and a promoter of artists and artistic events. Soto Vélez died in Puerto Rico on April 15, 1993.

From the description of Papers, 1924-1996. (New York State Historical Documents). WorldCat record id: 155422966