Juan Antonio Pérez Bonalde
Juan Antonio Pérez Bonalde (1846-1892) was a Venezuelan translator and poet. He is buried in the National Pantheon of Venezuela.
Life
Juan Antonio Pérez Bonalde was born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1846. He lived many years in exile, due to political problems his family had with the government of that time. Later Pérez Bonalde travelled to the United States, Puerto Rico, Asia, Europe and Africa, because of his activity as tradesman. His poem Vuelta a la Patria is about his return to Venezuela. Juan Antonio Pérez Bonalde lost a daughter. He wrote a poem Flor in memory of her.
Destroyed by the morphine Juan Antonio Pérez Bonalde died in La Guaira, Venezuela, in 1892.
Juan Antonio Pérez Bonalde is considered as a poet of romantic trend, but many people believe he was also a precursor of Modernism. Vuelta a la Patria is his most known poem.
On the other hand Pérez Bonalde translated works of English, German, Italian, Danish, Chinese, Portuguese, French writers into Spanish. The Songbook of Heine and the poem "The Raven" of Edgar Allan Poe are his most famous translations.
Works
- Estrofas (1877, English: Stanzas)
- Ritmos (1880, English: Rhythms)
- Poema del Niágara (1880, English: Niagara’s Poem)
- Vuelta a la Patria (English: Return to the Homeland)
- Flor (English: Flower)