JUAN MANUEL ROCA: BIOGRAPHY, STYLE, WORKS - BIOGRAPHIES - 2025

Juan Manuel Roca (1946) is a Colombian writer, poet, essayist and narrator whose work is one of the most recognized of the 21st century. His professional life has covered the field of journalism and the promotion of culture through events and conferences in the Colombian territory.

Roca's literary work has developed within the parameters of the surrealist movement. The texts of this intellectual stand out for their originality and creativity, making use of a cultured, precise and expressive language. Regarding his poetry, it stands out for being deep and thoughtful.

Juan Manuel Roca. Source: Carlos Mario Lema, via Wikimedia Commons

Juan Manuel Roca's literary production is extensive. Some of the most prominent titles in his repertoire have been: Moon of the Blind, The Night Thieves, Signal of Crows, Citizen of the Night and Song of Distance. The writer has been recognized with several awards. In relation to his life there is little information.

Biography

Birth and family

Juan Manuel Roca was born on December 29, 1946 in the city of Medellín in Colombia. It is known that he came from a cultured family with a good socioeconomic position, and that they always focused on his preparation. His father was the poet and journalist Juan Roca Lemus.

Studies

Roca's education took place in Mexico and Paris, which was due to the diplomatic work of his father. In those places, the writer received elementary and high school education, in addition to the intellectual and educational support of his father.

First publications

Roca inherited his talent for letters from his father, so he devoted himself fully to writing. In his youth he published his first poetic works. The author became known in 1973 with Memoria del agua and three years later he released Luna de ciegos.

Juan Manuel was quickly recognized by the reading public and critics, this due to his good literary performance. This is how in the seventies he received two national poetry awards, the "Eduardo Cote Lamus" and the "University of Antioquia." These recognitions opened important doors in his career.

Some work of the writer

The literary work of Juan Manuel Roca extended to journalism. In the eighties, the poet served as coordinator of the Sunday magazine publication of the Colombian newspaper El Espectador. After that he was promoted to director of the aforementioned magazine and served from 1988 to 1999.

Roca was also director of the Silva Poetry House in Bogotá for more than twenty years, from 1986 to 2011. During his services, the writer organized various cultural events and developed research projects for the knowledge and dissemination of poetry.

Awards and honours

- National Poetry Prize "Eduardo Cote Lamus" in 1975.

- National Poetry Prize "Universidad de Antioquia" in 1979.

- Best Book Commentator Award by the Colombian Book Chamber in 1992.

- Simón Bolívar National Journalism Award in 1993.

- National Short Story Award from the University of Antioquia in 2000.

- Finalist for the Rómulo Gallegos Award in 2004 in the novel category.

- National Poetry Award from the Ministry of Culture in 2004.

- Casa de las Américas Award in 2007 for Cantar de lejanía. Personal anthology.

- “José Lezama Lima” Poetry Award in 2007 for the work Cantar de lejanía. Personal anthology.

- Casa de América Award for American Poetry in 2009 for the Poor Bible. Spain.

- Doctorate Honoris Causa from the National University of Colombia in 2014.

Style

Juan Manuel Roca's literary style has stood out for its surreal, fanciful and imaginary features. His work is original, creative and witty. The author has used a cultured, precise and expressive language, although far from sentimentality and exaggerated emotionalism.

Plays

Poetry

- Memory of water (1973).

- Moon of the blind (1976).

- The night robbers (1977).

- Letters from the dream (1978).

- Signal of crows (1979).

- Mester of cavalry (1979).

- Royal Fabular (1980).

- Poetic Anthology (1983).

- Secret country (1987).

- Citizen of the night (1989).

- Moon of the blind (1990). Anthology.

- Pavana with the devil (1990).

- Monologues (1994).

- Memory of meetings (1995).

- The angel's pharmacy (1995).

- Gathering of absent (1998).

- Place of appearances (2000).

- The five burials of Pessoa (2001).

- Arenga del que sueña (2002).

- Shadow theater with César Vallejo (2002).

- A violin for Chagall (2003).

- The hypotheses of nobody (2005).

- Sing from afar (2005). Anthology.

- The besieged angel and other poems (2006).

- The pianist of the land of the waters (date unknown). Written jointly with Patricia Durán.

- Triptych of Comala (date unknown). With Antonio Samudio.

- From the circus lunary (date unknown). Together with Fabián Rendón.

- Wills (2008).

- Poor's Bible (2009).

- Passport of the stateless person (2012).

- Three faces of the moon (2013).

- Syllabus of the way: poetry reunited 1973-2014 (2016).

Narrative

Signature of Juan Manuel Roca. Source: Uploaded to commons by XalD, via Wikimedia Commons

- Prose reunited (1993).

- The secret plagues and other stories (2001).

- That damn habit of dying (2003).

- Genaro Manoblanca, manufacturer of marimbas (2013).

Test

- Museum of encounters (1995).

- Memory cartographer (2003).

- The house without rest. Violence and Colombian Poets of the 20th Century (2007).

- Gallery of mirrors (date unknown).

- The kiss of the Mona Lisa (2015).

Other works

- Rocabulary (2006). Anthology of its definitions. With the collaboration of Henry Posada.

- Emergency Anarchist Dictionary (2008). Together with Iván Darío Álvarez.

Fragment "Map of a ghost country"

"In pieces I would remember

stretches of road: shuffleboard players

under a moon of pasture and men on bicycles

crossing in the middle of the pines.

If just by folding the map of the country

they will be kept in the bag

places that memory does not visit, an atlas of oblivion could be drawn.

There is a loose nut

after adjusting all parts

and maybe she is the one that gives life to everything

the gear:

my heart was in quarantine

or did he let the lianas

they will climb avoiding a new trip… ”.

Fragment of "Salmo del Valle de Upar"

"If the water

low pregnant with omens

from the Sierra Nevada

to the feet of Nazaria.

If ripe mangoes fall

ripping the silence

on an abandoned canoe.

If upon reaching the valley

the cotton

it looks like the snow of the tropics…

If where the distance is born

there is a rumor of copper pans

and a smell of contraband.

If the river chronicler

tell horror stories

that besiege

the streets of Tamalameque… ”.

References

1. Juan Manuel Roca. (2019). Spain: Wikipedia. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
2. Juan Manuel Roca. (2019). Colombia: Syllable. Recovered from: silaba.com.co.
3. Rodríguez, L. (2009). Juan Manuel Roca. (N / a): Blogspot Juan Manuel Roca. Recovered from: juanmanuelroca.blogspot.com.
4. Five poems by the Colombian poet Juan Manuel Roca. (2014). (N / a): WPM 2011. Recovered from: wpm2011.org.
5. Alvarado, H. (S. f.). Juan Manuel Roca. (N / a): Colombian Poetry. Recovered from: poesiacolombiana.com.