Isabel la Negra
| Isabel "la Negra" Luberza Oppenheimer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 July 1901[1] Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Died | January 4, 1974 Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Occupation | Brothel owner |
Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer (23 July 1901[2] — 4 January 1974), better known as "Isabel la Negra", was a Puerto Rican brothel owner and madam in Ponce, Puerto Rico.[3][4] Her name and her brothel, Elizabeth's Dancing Club, became part of Puerto Rican folklore both during her life and posthumously.
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[edit] Early years and youth
Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer was born in barrio San Anton, Ponce, Puerto Rico[5] on 23 July 1901.
Apart from her business as a madam, well documented in many Puerto Rican newspapers such as El Dia and El Vocero, not much is known about her life. The most widely accepted[by whom?] legend is that Isabel left home as a young teenager to live with a wealthy man, only to find out that he was married.[6] She then dated, and married, a much older man, a wealthy American.[7]
[edit] Business and career
From the late 1930s to the mid-1960s Isabel la Negra owned and operated her bordello in the municipality of Ponce. At that time prostitution was tolerated. Her bordello was allegedly visited by politicians, businessmen, clergy members, etc. but this remains conjecture.[8]
Dubbed by the public Isabel la Negra, she declared herself "Madame" of her brothel. Isabel had two brothels: one in Barrio San Anton and another one in Barrio Maraguez.[9] While her brothel businesses made her quite wealthy, the Catholic Church did not accept her donations because of her past and the illicit nature of her profession.[10]
[edit] Death
Isabel la Negra was shot dead in a drug-related homicide.[11] It occurred in one of her establishments on January 4, 1974, for reasons which remain unclear.[citation needed] She is was 72 years old.
[edit] Literary & media representations
Several of Puerto Rico's most important contemporary authors and filmmakers have been inspired by Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer's life and made works based on her experiences. In 1975, Rosario Ferré and Manuel Ramos Otero published two stories about Isabel la Negra in the literary journal Zona de carga y descarga. These stories were later reprinted in short-story collections by each author.[12][13]
In 1979,[14] a film about her life, Life of Sin, was released, starring Míriam Colón as Isabel, with José Ferrer, Raúl Juliá, Miguel Ángel Suárez, and Henry Darrow. The movie was directed by Efraín López Neris.[15]
In 2006, author Mayra Santos-Febres published a novel based on the life of Isabel la Negra, titled Nuestra Señora de la Noche.[16]
[edit] Legacy
There is a street in Ponce, crossed by Papo Franceshi Street, and named to the memory of Isabel La Negra at Barrio San Antón.[17]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Funeraria Jackie Oliver. Museum. Avenida Las Americas, Ponce, Puerto Rico. 15 February 2012.
- ^ Funeraria Jackie Oliver. Museum. Avenida Las Americas, Ponce, Puerto Rico. 15 February 2012.
- ^ López Rojas, Luis Alfredo. La mafia en Puerto Rico. San Juan, P.R.: Editorial Isla Negra, 2004, page 20, note 7. ISBN 1932271325
- ^ Ramos Rosado, María Esther. La mujer negra en la literatura puertorriqueña. San Juan, P.R.: Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, 1999. ISBN 0847703665
- ^ José Ángel Cangiano. Receso del tribunal: vivencias judiciales. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Editoria Centenario. 2007. Page 3.
- ^ Listening to salsa: gender, Latin popular music, and Puerto Rican cultures. Frances R. Aparicio. Page 52.
- ^ Se Resolvio el Caso de "Isable La Negra"! 25 August 2006. Maria Elena Salinas. Univision.
- ^ Listening to salsa: gender, Latin popular music, and Puerto Rican cultures. Frances R. Aparicio. Page 45.
- ^ Listening to salsa: gender, Latin popular music, and Puerto Rican cultures. Frances R. Aparicio. Page 54.
- ^ Listening to salsa: gender, Latin popular music, and Puerto Rican cultures. Frances R. Aparicio. Page 54.
- ^ Listening to salsa: gender, Latin popular music, and Puerto Rican cultures. Frances R. Aparicio. Page 3.
- ^ Ferré, Rosario. "Cuando las mujeres quieren a los hombres." In Papeles de Pandora, pp. 23-38. Mexico: Joaquín Mortiz, 1976. ISBN 9682701066
- ^ Ramos Otero, Manuel. "La última plena que bailó Luberza." In El cuento de la Mujer del Mar, pp. 47-68. Río Piedras: Ediciones Huracán, 1979. Also published in Cuentos de buena tinta, 195-209. San Juan, P.R.: Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, 1992. ISBN 0865814546
- ^ Life of Sin movie at IMDb
- ^ A Life of Sin (movie)
- ^ Santos-Febres, Mayra. Nuestra Señora de la Noche; Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid: Espasa, 2006; ISBN 8467020938
- ^ Isabel La Negra Street
