Efraín Barradas Collection

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0340

Staff Only

Scope and Content

The Efraín Barradas Collection dates from 1881 to 2015, with bulk dates from 1968 to 1999. The records include Barradas's personal correspondence, books signed by the author, memorabilia, publications, photographs, and material related to his hometown, Aguadilla. The correspondence series is the most significant of this collection, not only for its volume, but also for its context, for Barradas corresponded with major literary, academic, and art figures in Latin America from 1968 to 2015.

The Efraín Barradas Collection has intellectual value for studies of Latin American literature in the United States; history of literary movements in Puerto Rico during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s; the network between Latin American academics in the United States; and the 1970s gay and lesbian intellectual generation. Barradas's literary work is part of a Puerto Rican literary group known as "Generación de los 60" (Generation of the 1960s). Among outstanding themes and events are his doctoral thesis work; efforts to publish his work in Puerto Rico and the United States; and relations with colleagues, writers, friends, and partners.

Dates

Creation: 1881-2015
Creation: Majority of material found within 1968-1999

Creator

Barradas, Efraín. (Person)

Language of Materials

Includes materials written in Spanish and English.

Access

Due to privacy concerns, Folder 32 in Box 12 has been restricted and closed until 2065. Box 4 Folders 50-53 and Box 5 Folders 1-10 are also restricted. For more information, please speak with the Collection Curator or Archivist.

Biographical/Historical Note

Efraín Barradas was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, on January 6, 1947. In 1968, he earned a B.A. in Humanities from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras (UPR), and later an M.A. (1973) and a Ph.D. (1977) in Romance Languages and Literature from Princeton University.

Barradas has forged a career as a literary and art critic, analyzing the works of Latin American writers and artists, in particular Puerto Rican writers such as Luis Rafael Sánchez and genres such as poetry, non-fiction, and essays. He has published six books dealing with the development of literature in Puerto Rico. During the 1980s, Barradas wrote critic's review columns in the Puerto Rican nationalist newspaper Claridad, discussing art exhibits, literary reviews, and the performing arts. He has also promoted LGBTQ themes through his work and the literary work of other authors.

Barradas has had an illustrious academic career teaching romance languages, and Latin American and Hispanic studies, with a twenty-year tenure at University of Massachusetts at Boston, and visiting scholar appointments at Harvard University, Universidad de Puerto Rico, and Universidad de Salamanca in Spain. Barradas is currently a University of Florida professor with dual appointments in the Center for Latin American Studies and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies.

Extent

7.54 Linear feet (13 Boxes)

Additional Description

Abstract

Efraín Barradas was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico in 1947. He is a professor of romance languages and Latin American and Hispanic studies, as well as a literary and art critic. This collection includes Barradas's correspondence, books with inscriptions from notable Latin American authors, artwork from Pedro Pietri, newsletters, and historic documents related to the town of Aguadilla.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into five series: "I. Correspondence," "II. Publications," "III. Ephemera," "IV. Photographs," and "V. Books." Each series is arranged in alphabetical order.

Physical Location

University of Florida Smathers Library Building

Alternate Form of Finding Aid

This guide is available in Spanish at https://www.uflib.ufl.edu/findingaids/Spanish/mss0340.pdf.

Acquisition Information

Dr. Efraín Barradas donated this collection between 2014 and 2016.

Related Material

A Guide to the Efraín Barradas Mexican and Cuban Film Poster Collection, http://www.library.ufl.edu/spec/belknap/barradas.htm

Selected Bibliography

Barradas, Efraín. 1998. Partes de un todo: ensayos y notas sobre literatura puertorriqueña en los Estados Unidos. San Juan, P.R.: Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico. (PS153.P83 B37 1998)
Barradas, Efraín. 1981. Para leer en puertorriqueño: acercamiento a la obra de Luis Rafael Sánchez. Río Piedras, P.R.: Editorial Cultural. (PQ7440.S235 Z59 1981)
Barradas, Efraín. 2007. Mente, mirada, mano: visiones y revisiones de la obra de Lorenzo Homar. San Juan, P.R.: Ediciones Huracán. (N6614.H66 M46 2007)
Barradas, Efraín, and Rita de Maeseneer. 2006. Para romper con el insularismo: letras puertorriqueñas en comparación. Amsterdam: Rodopi. (PQ7423 .P37 2006)
Barradas, Efraín, Rafael Rodríguez, and Carmen Lilianne Marín. 1980. Herejes y mitificadores: muestra de poesía puertorriqueña en los Estados Unidos. Río Piedras, P.R.: Ediciones Huracán. (PQ7434.Z5 E3 1980)