Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Victor Fragoso (1944-1982), a Puerto Rican writer, made his mark in poetry, playwriting, and essays. His work traversed disciplines and boundaries, leaving an indelible impact on the Puerto Rican and queer communities in New York and beyond. His papers are preserved in The Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (CENTRO).
His book, ser islas/being islands, was originally published in 1976 and is currently available in a special 50th anniversary edition delicately interwining images from Fragoso’s personal archival collections. This bilingual edition elegantly capturing the nostalgic and intimate nature of his work with new essays by Archivist Herbert Duran and Gustavo Quintero Vera. “In Fragoso, the intimate and the political do not clash; there is a poiesis of encounter, a queer gaze upon the always-queer experience of being human” (Ángel Antonio Ruiz Laboy).
Purchase the book: centropr-store.com/ser-islas
Credits:
Narrated by CENTRO Archivist Herbert Durán
Photos from the Víctor Fragoso Papers
Super 8 Footage filmed by Víctor Fragoso
Photo of Walt Whitman by George C. Cox, Library of Congress
Photo of Federico García Lorca by Rafael Jauregui
Photo of Clemente Soto Vélez by Adál, National Portrait Gallery
Photo of Julia de Burgos from the CENTRO Archives (Photographer Unknown)
Founded in 1973 by a coalition of students, faculty, and activists, the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (CENTRO) is the largest university-based research institute, library, and archive dedicated to the Puerto Rican experience in the United States. Learn more at centropr.hunter.cuny.edu
Follow us on social media!
Instagram: instagram.com/centropr
Facebook: facebook.com/centropr
Threads: threads.net/@centropr
TikTok: tiktok.com/@centropr
Support our work by donating today at community.hunter.cuny.edu/supportcentro
Victor Fragoso (1944-1982), a Puerto Rican writer, made his mark in poetry, playwriting, and essays. His work traversed disciplines and boundaries, leaving an indelible impact on the Puerto Rican and queer communities in New York and beyond. His papers are preserved in The Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (CENTRO).
His book, ser islas/being islands, was originally published in 1976 and is currently available in a special 50th anniversary edition delicately interwining images from Fragoso’s personal archival collections. This bilingual edition elegantly capturing the nostalgic and intimate nature of his work with new essays by Archivist Herbert Duran and Gustavo Quintero Vera. “In Fragoso, the intimate and the political do not clash; there is a poiesis of encounter, a queer gaze upon the always-queer experience of being human” (Ángel Antonio Ruiz Laboy).
Purchase the book: centropr-store.com/ser-islas
Credits:
Narrated by CENTRO Archivist Herbert Durán
Photos from the Víctor Fragoso Papers
Super 8 Footage filmed by Víctor Fragoso
Photo of Walt Whitman by George C. Cox, Library of Congress
Photo of Federico García Lorca by Rafael Jauregui
Photo of Clemente Soto Vélez by Adál, National Portrait Gallery
Photo of Julia de Burgos from the CENTRO Archives (Photographer Unknown)
Founded in 1973 by a coalition of students, faculty, and activists, the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (CENTRO) is the largest university-based research institute, library, and archive dedicated to the Puerto Rican experience in the United States. Learn more at centropr.hunter.cuny.edu
Follow us on social media!
Instagram: instagram.com/centropr
Facebook: facebook.com/centropr
Threads: threads.net/@centropr
TikTok: tiktok.com/@centropr
Support our work by donating today at community.hunter.cuny.edu/supportcentro
