Celebrated Writer and SPAP Alumni Rosario Ferré Dies

Puerto Rican Writer and UMD Alumni, Rosario Ferré, Dies at Age 77

Let us remember the celebrated life of Puerto Rican writer, poet, and essayist, Rosario Ferré Ramírez de Arellano, who died on Thursday, February 18, 2016, at age 77. Ferré received her Ph.D. from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Maryland, and published works in both Spanish and English. Many of her works deal with themes of race, class, gender, and sexuality, while merging Puerto Rican folk tales with Western myths. Since she published her first collection of short stories, Papeles de Pandora, in 1976, she has authored many books including Maldito Amor (1986), Sweet Diamond Dust (1989), The Battle of the Virgins (1994), Eccentric Neighborhoods (1998), and Flight of the Swan (2001).  In addition to numerous literary prizes, Ferré was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 2004. She is survived by 3 children and a husband.

In a 1986 interview, Ferré described her motivation for writing:

“Escribo porque le tengo más miedo al silencio que a la palabra. Escribo porque no sé nunca lo que pienso hasta que lo escribo, hasta que lo formula en una secuencia ordenada sobre la página. En este sentido podría decirse que mi vida ha sido una negación del postulado Cartesiano ‘pienso luego soy.’ Yo digo: escribe, luego pienso.”