Dulce María Borrero Piedra

An outstanding fighter for women's rights. From her youth she demonstrated special talents for the cultivation of the arts, letters and, especially, poetry. Poetess, painter and journalist.

She was born in Havana (Puentes Grandes) on September 10, 1883. She was the daughter of Dr. Juana Borrero Pierra (1877-1896), an essential figure in Cuban letters. From childhood she was educated in letters and continued with her work the family tradition initiated by her paternal grandfather, her father and her sister Juana. She grew up in an artistic and literary atmosphere, amid gatherings attended by other writers, such as Julián del Casal and brothers Carlos and Federico Uhrbach.

In 1895, because her father, Esteban, was involved with the revolutionary cause, the Borreros were forced to emigrate to Key West (Cayo Hueso), in the United States. There Juana would die (in 1896, when she was still not yet 19 years old), who had guided her in her studies. Dulce María would then publish, in the Revista de Cayo Hueso, her first verses, accompanied by her own illustrations, as she handled the pencil and brush with considerable skill and ease.

She then moved to Costa Rica, when her father went to occupy the position of delegate of the Revolution in that country.

She returned to Cuba in 1899, after the end of the Cuban War of Independence, and began to become known as a writer. In 1908, she obtained first prize at the Juegos Florales of the Ateneo de La Habana with the symbolic canto "Amor", and a medal from the magazine Cuba y América, for her sonnet "¡Mayo!".

In 1912, she received first prize and gold medal from the National Academy of Arts and Letters for her book of poems Horas de mi vida. In 1914, she obtained gold medal in the competition of the Avellaneda Committee for her composition "Alba de Gloria" and, in 1919, the prize from the Secretariat of Public Instruction and Fine Arts for her collection of songs and games for kindergarten.

In the poetry of Dulce María Borrero there is a deep hopelessness in a delicate lyrical tonality. An intimate and refined note stands out, noted by several critics. Her verses were spontaneous and natural, completely free from artifices, rules or metric schools.

She also wrote texts of critical reflection, such as "Poetry Through Color" (1912), "Marriage in Cuba" (1914), among others, which appeared in publications such as Cuba Contemporánea, Revista Cubana, Revista Bimestre Cubana and El Fígaro.

She was a full member of the National Academy of Arts and Letters since its founding in 1910 and co-director, with Miguel Ángel Carbonell, of its Anales. In 1935, she occupied the position of Director of Culture of the Ministry of Education. She founded the Bibliographic Association of Cuba (1937) and to her is due the creation of several public libraries.

She delivered lectures on artistic and literary topics, as well as on educational and civic problems. She had active participation in favor of women's rights: she defended the incorporation of women into the field of education and culture in articles such as "Teaching and the Future of Cuba", "Women's Intellectual Festival: Its Current Significance; Its Further Mission" (1935) and "Woman as a Factor for Peace" (1938).

She showed a permanent interest in Cuba's problems; her Cuban spirit was projected in lectures, journalistic articles, pamphlets and civic actions. She distinguished herself by her keen spirit of observation and analysis, not only regarding art and letters, but also in relation to sociological and political studies.

Like her sister Juana, Dulce María Borrero was also a very distinguished painter of flowers and still lifes. She died in Havana on January 15, 1945.