JORGE ISAACS

JORGE ISAACS 

was born in April 1, 1837, Cali, Valle del Cauca, and he died in April 17, 1895, Ibague. He is a Colombian poet and novelist whose best work is Maria; it is published in 1867; Maria: A South American Romance was one of the most famous Latin-American novels of the 19th century.

The son of a prosperous English Jew, Isaacs received an excellent education. During the War of the Cauca (1860–63) he was reduced to poverty by the destruction of his estates. Settling in Bogotá in 1864, he published a slight volume of Poesies, which attracted considerable attention.

His father was George Henry Isaacs, an English Jew originally from Jamaica. He first settled in Chocó, Colombia, where he made a fortune from gold mining and trade with Jamaica. Then he moved to Cali where he converted to Christianity, bought his Colombian citizenship from Simon Bolivar and paid for it in cows. (There is a plaque on a bridge north of Bogota to commemorate this.) He married Manuela Ferrer Scarpetta, daughter of a Spanish Navy officer. He also owned two haciendas near Cali, called "La Manuelita" (named after his wife) and "El Paraíso". The latter would provide the setting for María. "El Paraiso" has been preserved as a museum, with emphasis upon its relation to the novel.

During the time of the civil wars Jorge Isaacs and his family went through a period of economic hardship. Isaacs tried unsuccessfully to become a merchant as his father.  Then he turned to literature and wrote his first poems between 1859 and 1860. During that time he also wrote several dramas of historical theme. Isaacs took arms again in 1860, this time against General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, and saw action in the Battle of Manizales during the Colombian Civil War. In 1861 Isaacs' father died; when the war ended Isaacs returned to Cali to take over the administration of his father's businesses, but he found them deeply in debt.

Choose the correct answer:

Jorge Isaacs was born in

A.    April 17, 1895

B.    April 1, 1837

C.   April 1, 1864

D.   April 17, 1867

How old was Jorge isaacs When he died?

A.    He was fifty-eight years old

B.    He was sixty-eight years old

C.   He was forty-five years old

D.   He was seventy-five years old

How long ago was “Maria” Written?

A.    It was written Ninety years ago

B.    This is the Birthday Number one hundred – thirty

C.   This is the hundredth birthday

D.   It was written one hundred and fifty years ago

The word hardship means

A.    Difficulty

B.    Abundance

C.   Prosperity

D.   Success

His father bought his Colombian citizenship with

A.    Horses

B.    Cows

C.   Estates

House