Mercedes Negrón Muñoz

Mercedes Negrón Muñoz^{[note 1]} a.k.a. "Clara Lair" (March 8, 1895 – August 26, 1973), was a poet whose work dealt with the everyday struggles of the common Puerto Rican.

Early years

Negrón Muñoz was born in Barranquitas, Puerto Rico, into a family which included writers, poets and politicians. Her father was the poet Quintín Negrón and her uncles the poet Jose A. Negrón and poet and statesman Luis Muñoz Rivera. She was also the cousin of Puerto Rico's first elected governor Luis Muñoz Marín. Negrón Muñoz received her primary and secondary education in her hometown and she studied literature in the University of Puerto Rico.^[1]

"Clara Lair"

In 1937, Negrón Muñoz published the poem "Arras de Cristal" (Cracked Glass) under the name "Clara Lair", her assumed pseudonym.^[2]

Legacy

Isabel Cuchí Coll published a book about Negrón Muñoz titled "Dos Poetisas de América: Clara Lair y Julia de Burgos". A docudrama about the life of Negrón Muñoz titled "A Passion Named Clara Lair" was produced and directed by Ivonne Belen in 1996. Puerto Rico has honored her memory by naming a school after her, and in the town of Hormigueros there is a Hogar Clara Lair, a non-profit organization founded in 1991, which protects defenseless women. Also, the street in Old San Juan right in front of her last residence carries her name.

Note

1. ↑ This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Negrón and the second or maternal family name is Muñoz.

See also

• List of Puerto Rican writers
• List of Puerto Ricans
• Puerto Rican literature

References