Palés Matos, Luis (1898–1959)

Puerto Rican poet. He was one of the creators of Afro-Antillian poetry, which introduced African rhythms and words into the Puerto Rican poetic idom. Works such as ‘Tuntún de Pasa y Grifería’ and ‘Ultimos Poemas’ led many to think him Puerto Rico's most important 20th-century poet. He was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico, and he supported himself by working as a civil servant.