Las primeras brisas del exilio español republicano: El impacto del primer viaje a Puerto Rico de Juan Ramón Jiménez y Zenobia Camprubí en la prensa local y en el círculo académico riopiedrense

The following research examines Juan Ramón Jiménez and Zenobia Camprubí’s first visit to the island of Puerto Rico in 1936, weeks after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. Based on little-known original documentary sources and several relevant contributions published in recent years, this article addresses the wide impact of their journey on the local press as well as on the academics of the Universidad de Puerto Rico-Recinto de Río Piedras at that time. The journey, lasting from September to November 1936, also coincides with the news of the assassination of Federico García Lorca, and the consequently sympathetic reaction of Puerto Rican academics towards the Spanish Republican cause. In various interviews and lectures held during his first visit to the island, Juan Ramón reveals some key points of his political ideology. Different opinions have been expressed about the poet’s position with respect to the Spanish Civil War that question his commitment to Spanish Republican values. Some of the statements made during his brief stay in Puerto Rico show that Juan Ramón was never on the side of either fascism or communism.