Manuel Ramos Otero Papers, circa 1920s-2007, bulk 1967-1992
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Collection context
- Creator:
- Ramos Otero, Manuel
- Abstract:
- Manuel Ramos Otero (1948-1990) is considered the first openly gay writer from Puerto Rico. He resided in New York City for much of his adult life. In 1990, he returned to his hometown of Manatí, Puerto Rico, where he died of complications from HIV/AIDS. The collection includes personal and professional correspondence, manuscripts, notebooks and notes, reviews, photographs, and newspaper clippings. These materials range in date from Otero's infancy to his death, 1948-1990. There is also a small section of the collection that contains material related to Otero posthumously, which dates from 1990 to 2007.
- Extent:
- 18 linear feet (16 record cartons; 1 document box; and 1 flat box)
- Language:
- English , Spanish; Castilian .
- Scope and content:
-
The collection contains the papers of Manuel Ramos Otero and reflects to his careers as an author, student, and professor. The collection primarily consists of Otero's published and unpublished writing. These materials range in date from 1967-1989, and include numerous manuscripts which document his writing and editing process. The collection also includes Otero's notebooks, essays, and articles annotated by Otero as a student. There is a series of personal correspondence between Otero and his family in Puerto Rico while Otero lived in the United States. Finally, there are also smaller series of photographs, correspondence, official documents, theatrical work, and posthumous publications and tributes.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Jesús Manuel "Chu" Ramos Otero was born in Manatí, Puerto Rico in 1948. In 1968, he moved to New York City to pursue his career as a writer. He is now considered one of the first openly out homosexual writers of the Puerto Rican diaspora.
Otero's writing is often considered controversial because of its unabashedly political, feminist and homoerotic subject matter. He wrote primarily semi-autobiographical pieces that dealt with themes of exile and rejection. The feeling of being exiled was twofold for Otero, who felt exiled from Puerto Rico for having left to the United States, and rejected in the United States because his writing did not deal with issues of race and class status that had become expected of Latino writers. The practice of writing for Otero thus became closely linked to his sex life because both writing and sexual acts were victimized by migration. As a result, much of Otero's writing deconstructs traditional gender categories in order to imagine a more liberated narrative form that might then translate to everyday life.
Otero studied Spanish literature at New York University, where he received a Master of Arts degree (MA) in 1979. He went on to teach Caribbean literature at Lehman College, York College, and LaGuardia Community College while pursuing a Ph.D. in Spanish literature at the City University of New York (CUNY).
In September of 1971, Otero founded Aspasguanza, a theatrical workshop in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Four years later, in 1975, Otero founded the publishing group El libro viaje, which was devoted to getting as many Puerto Rican authors published as American. During this decade, Otero traveled and collaborated creatively with his live-in partner, John Anthes, who died circa 1979. After Anthes' death, Otero began a relationship with the Puerto Rican painter Angel Rodríguez-Díaz. While little is known of John Anthes, Otero dedicated two of his works, "Ritos cancelados" and "Ceremonia de bienes y raices," to him after his death. Much of Otero's semi-autobiographical writing highlights his relationship with Anthes. Throughout his life, Otero harnessed close friendships with other influential Puerto Rican authors, and often collaborated with them. These people include Rosario Ferré, Ana Lydia Vega, and Magalí García Ramis.
In 1990, Otero returned to Puerto Rico to live out his final days. He died on October 7th of that year of complications from HIV/AIDS. His posthumously-published work, Invitación a polvo, which Otero defined as "completely untranslatable," directly addresses topics around the AIDS crisis.
In 1998, the Guadalajara International Book Fair published Tálamos y tumbas prosa y verso de Manuel Ramos Otero, which includes numerous short stories and the book of poetry, El libro de la muerte. In 1999, and again in 2002, the Pergones Theatre company in the Bronx adapted Otero's short story, "El locura de la locura" to stage the play "El bolero fue mi ruina." It was then adapted to an off-Broadway show in 2002 and staged by the Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
This collection is located on-site.
Student records and medical records in this collection are restricted for 75 years from their respective dates of creation.
Unique time-based media items have been reformatted and are available onsite via links in the container list. Commercial materials are not routinely digitized.
- Terms of access:
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Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
- Preferred citation:
-
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Manuel Ramos Otero Papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
- Location of this collection:
- Before you visit:
- Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.
- Contact:
- rbml@library.columbia.edu