Luis Rafael Sanchez
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Dr. Luis Rafael Sánchez a.k.a. "Wico" (born (1936) in Humacao, Puerto Rico), is considered by many to be the greatest Puerto Rican playwright of modern times.
Sánchez was raised by his parents in the city of Humacao, which is located in the lower eastern part of Puerto Rico. There he received his primary education. His family moved to San Juan where Sánchez continued to receive his secondary and higher education. He enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico in 1955 after graduating from high school, earning a Bachelors of Arts degree. It was during his days as a student at the university that he became interested in acting.
His interest in literature led him to enroll at the City University of New York where in 1959 he earned his Masters Degree in dramatic arts. He eventually went to Madrid, Spain and earned his Doctorate in Literature in 1975 from the Complutense University of Madrid.
Sánchez's first play was "La Pasión Según Antigona Pérez" (The Passion According to Antigona Perez) a tragedy acted out in the present day Puerto Rico. The character of "Antigona" was based on the life of Olga Viscal Garriga (1926-1995). Her life was rooted in politics and her 3 children. She was a member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and an accomplished speaker who spent time in jail for her political beliefs yet, she saw herself as a simple woman with simple needs.
"La Guaracha del Macho Camacho" (Macho Camacho's Beat) was published in 1976. This novel moves to a guaracha, a latin rhythm, with no audible beat. It is left to the imagination of the reader to come up with this beat. IT has been suggested that the song itself is the real protagonist of the tale. The "Americanization" of Puerto Rico is explored in this work. As well as the Puerto Rican political subject and the political situation of the island as a colony; one aspect of this examination can be seen as a critique of the Puerto Rican who would give up his culture to assimilate into the American culture against the Puerto Rican who refuses to let go of his cultural identity. The book was translated into English by Gregory Rabassa.
In the "La guagua aérea" or "The Flying Bus", Sánchez explores the concept of a bi-polar culture, the question of assimilation and the opposition to the U.S. anglo culture. He also authored "En Cuerpo de Camisa".
Luis Rafael Sánchez is now a professor emeritus at the University of Puerto Rico and the City University of New York. He also travels to Europe and Latin-America where he has been involved in the teachings and works of theater.
Among his other works are the following:
- Los Ángeles se han fatigado (1960)
- Farsa del amor compradito (1960)
- La hiel nuestra de cada día (1960)
- Sol 13, interior (1961)
- O casi el alma (1965)
- La importancia de llamarse Daniel Santos (1988)
Some of the books written about Sánchez are: "El Teatro de Luis Rafael Sánchez" (The Theater of Luis Rafael Sánchez) by Eliseo Colón Zayas; "Puerto Rican Cultural Identity, the work of Gloria Waldman around his theater production. "The Work of Luis Rafael Sánchez" by Dr. John D. Perivolaris, Efraín Barradas' "Escrito en puertorriqueño" (Written in Puerto Rican), and Alvin Joaquín Figueroa's "La narrativa de Luis Rafael Sánchez: texto y contexto" (The Narrative Work of Luis Rafael Sánchez), center around the narrative production of the author.
