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One of Puerto Rico's most celebrated novelists, essayists, and educators. Laguerre authored more than twenty books, including La Llamarada, considered a classic of Puerto Rican literature. Laguerre Velez, Enrique A. (1905--2005), writer, poet, teacher and critic, was born on July 15, 1905 in Moca. He is the best-known novelist of the 20th century. He graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a degree in Arts (BA in 1938 and MA in 1941) and a doctoral degree in Arts from the University of Columbia (1949) in New York. His first and best known novel, "La Llamarada" (1935) is considered the most important novel of the Generation of the '30s, it describes the political, economic and social conditions that prevailded in the island. Laguerre was also known as an advocate for environmental conservation. Laguerre is considered the most important Puerto Rican novelist, among his many novels are: "Solar Montoya" (1941), "La Resaca" (1949), "Los Amos Benévolos" (1976) (The Benevolent Masters), and "Los Gemelos" (1992). He was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1999. He died on June 16, 2005.