Nicholasa Mohr

Nicholasa Mohr (born November 1, 1938) is one of the best known Nuyorican writers.^[1][2] In 1973, she became the first Hispanic woman in the modern times to have her literary works published by the major commercial publishing houses, and she has developed the longest career as a creative writer for these publishing houses than any other Hispanic female writer.^[3] Her works tell of growing up in the Puerto Rican communities of the Bronx and El Barrio and of the difficulties Puerto Rican women face in the United States.

Life and career

Mohr was raised in the Bronx.

In 1973, her book "Nilda", which traces the life of a teenage Puerto Rican girl who confronts prejudices during the World War II era in New York, was awarded the Jane Addams Children Book Award.^[3]

In 1975, her second book "El Bronx Remembered" was awarded the New Times Outstanding Book Award, thus becoming the first female Hispanic to receive such an honor.^[3]

From 1988 through 1991, she taught at Queens College, City University of New York. From 1994 through 1995, she was Writer-in-Residence at Richmond College, the American University in London.^[4]

Works

• Nilda: a novel. Arte Publico Press. 1986. ISBN 978-0-934770-61-3.  (First published 1974.)
• Bronx Remembered: A Novella and Stories. San Val, Incorporated. 1993. ISBN 978-0-613-18443-4. 
• El Bronx remembered: a novella and stories. Harper & Row. 1975. 
• In Nueva York. Arte Publico Press. 1988. ISBN 978-0-934770-78-1. 
• Felita. Illustrator Ray Cruz. Bantam. 1990. ISBN 978-0-553-15792-5. 
• Going home. Dial Books for Young Readers. 1986. ISBN 978-0-8037-0269-1. 
• Rituals of survival: a woman's portfolio. Arte Publico Press. 1985. ISBN 978-0-934770-39-2. 
• Growing up inside the sanctuary of my imagination. J. Messner. 1994. ISBN 978-0-671-74171-6. 
• A Matter of pride and other stories. Arte Público Press. 1997. ISBN 978-1-55885-177-1. 
• The song of el coquí and other tales of Puerto Rico. Illustrator Antonio Martorell. Viking. 1995. ISBN 978-0-670-85837-8. 
• La canción del coquí y otros cuentos de Puerto Rico. Viking. 1995. ISBN 978-0-670-86296-2. 
• The magic shell. Illustrator Rudy Gutierrez. Scholastic. 1995. ISBN 978-0-590-47110-7. 
• El regalo mágico. Translator Osvaldo Blanco; Illustrator Rudy Gutierrez. Scholastic. 1996. ISBN 978-0-590-50210-8. 
• Old Letivia and the Mountain of Sorrows. Illustrator Rudy Gutierrez. Viking. 1996. ISBN 978-0-670-84419-7. 
• La vieja Letivia y el Monte de los Pesares. Illustrator Rudy Gutierrez. Penguin Ediciones/Viking. 1996. ISBN 978-0-670-86324-2. 
• I NEVER EVEN SEEN MY FATHER (play)

Awards

• Raul Julia Award by the Puerto Rican Family Institute (June 2007)
• Governor George E. Pataki's New York State Hispanic Heritage Month Award (2006)
• Women of El Barrio, Woman of Substance Award (2003)
• Hispanic Heritage Award for Literature (1997)
• Honoree for Dedication to Puerto Rican Heritage by the Puerto Rican Heritage Committee, District 32 in Bushwick, Brooklyn (1998)
• Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Congress of Puerto Rican Women in Philadelphia (1996)
• Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from the State University of New York, Albany Campus (1989)
• American Book Award (1981)
• Jane Addams Children's Book Awards (1974)
• The New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year
• National Book Award finalist (1976)

Critical studies

(as of March 2008)

1. Nilda de Nicholasa Mohr, El bildungsroman y la aparición de un espacio puertorriqueño en la literature de los EEUU By: Bellver Sáez, Pilar; Atlantis: Revista de la Asociación Española de Estudios Ingleses y Norteamericanos, 2006 June; 28 (1): 101-13.
2. Nicholasa Mohr (1938-) By: Sánchez González, Lisa. IN: West-Durán, Herrera-Sobek, and Salgado, Latino and Latina Writers, I: Introductory Essays, Chicano and Chicana Authors; II: Cuban and Cuban American Authors, Dominican and Other Authors, Puerto Rican Authors. New York, NY: Scribner's; 2004. pp. 905–16
3. Nicholasa Mohr, A Matter of Pride and Other Stories By: González, Lisa Sánchez. IN: Quintana, Reading U. S. Latina Writers: Remapping American Literature. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan; 2003. pp. 141–49
4. Prophesy Freedom: Puerto Rican Women's Literature as a Source for Latina Feminist Theology By: Delgado, Teresa. IN: Pilar Aquino, Machado, and Rodríguez, A Reader in Latina Feminist Theology: Religion and Justice. Austin, TX: U of Texas P; 2002. pp. 23–52
5. Border Spaces in Nicholasa Mohr's Growing Up inside the Sanctuary of My Imagination By: Vásquez, Mary S.; Bilingual Review/La Revista Bilingüe, 2001 Jan-2002 Apr; 26 (1): 26-33.
6. Pa'lante: An Interview with Nicholasa Mohr By: Kevane, Bridget. IN: Kevane, and Heredia, Latina Self-Portraits: Interviews with Contemporary Women Writers. Albuquerque, NM: U of New Mexico P; 2000. pp. 83–96
7. Bildungsroman Written by Puerto Rican Women in the United States: Nicholasa Mohr's Nilda: A Novel and Esmeralda Santiago's When I Was Puerto Rican By: Muñiz, Ismael; Atenea, 1999 June; 19 (1-2): 79-101.
8. The Wretched Refuse at the Golden Door: Nicholasa Mohr's 'The English Lesson' and America's Persistent Patronizing of Immigrants By: Dwyer, June; Proteus: A Journal of Ideas, 1994 Fall; 11 (2): 45-48.
9. Nicholasa Mohr (1 November 1938 - ) By: Miller, John C.. IN: Luis and González, Modern Latin-American Fiction Writers: Second Series. Detroit, MI: Gale; 1994. pp. 170–77
10. Down These City Streets: Exploring Urban Space in El Bronx Remembered and The House on Mango Street By: Heredia, Juanita; Mester, 1993 Fall-1994 Spring; 22-23 (2-1): 93-105.
11. De Puerto Rico a Nueva York: Protagonistas femeninas en busca de un espacio propio By: Rodríguez-Luis, Julio; La Torre: Revista de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, 1993 July-Dec; 7 (27-28 [2]): 577-94.
12. The Concept of Puerto Rico as Paradise Island in the Works of Two Puerto Rican Authors on the Mainland: Nicolasa Mohr and Edward Rivera By: Miller, John; Torre de Papel, 1993 Summer; 3 (2): 57-64.
13. The Puerto Rican 'Rainbow': Distortions vs. Complexities By: Gregory, Lucille H.; Children's Literature Association Quarterly, 1993 Spring; 18 (1): 29-35.
14. Latina Narrative and Politics of Signification: Articulation, Antagonism, and Populist Rupture By: McCracken, Ellen; Crítica: A Journal of Critical Essays (Univ. of California, San Diego), 1990 Fall; 2 (2): 202-07.
15. The Journey toward a Common Ground: Struggle and Identity of Hispanics in the U.S.A. By: Mohr, Nicholasa; The Americas Review: A Review of Hispanic Literature and Art of the USA, 1990 Spring; 18 (1): 81-85.
16. Growing Up Puertorriqueña: The Feminist Bildungsroman and the Novels of Nicholasa Mohr and Magalí García Ramis By: Fernández Olmos, Margarite; Centro, 1989-90 Winter; 2 (7): 56-73.
17. Puerto Rican Writers in the U.S., Puerto Rican Writers in Puerto Rico: A Separation beyond Language: Testimonio By: Mohr, Nicholasa. IN: Horno-Delgado, Ortega, Scott, and Sternbach, Breaking Boundaries: Latina Writing and Critical Readings. Amherst: U of Massachusetts P; 1989. pp. 111–116
18. Puerto Rican Writers in the United States, Puerto Rican Writers in Puerto Rico: A Separation beyond Language By: Mohr, Nicholasa; The Americas Review: A Review of Hispanic Literature and Art of the USA, 1987 Summer; 15 (2): 87-92.
19. An Interview with Nicholasa Mohr By: Natov, Roni; The Lion and the Unicorn: A Critical Journal of Children's Literature, 1987 Apr.; 11 (1): 116-121.
20. Back Down These Mean Streets: Introducing Nicholasa Mohr and Louis Reyes Rivera By: Flores, Juan; Revista Chicano-Riquena, 1980; 8 (2): 51-56.
21. Nicholasa Mohr: Neorican Writings in Progress: 'A View of the Other Culture' By: Miller, John C.; Revista/Review Interamericana, 1979; 9: 543-54.
22. The Emigrant and New York City: A Consideration of Four Puerto Rican Writers By: Miller, John C.; MELUS, 1978 Fall; 5 (3): 82-99.

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• List of Puerto Rican writers
• Latin American literature
• Nuyorican Movement
• Nuyorican Poets Café
• Puerto Rican literature
• German immigration to Puerto Rico

References

External links

• Heath Anthology bio
• Balkin Buddies bio
• Nicholasa Mohr at Library of Congress Authorities, with 16 catalog records