BIOGRAFIA / BIOGRAPHY

Su historia

Wilfrido Ortega 26 Oktober 1932 – + 26 Mei 2026

01 / BIOGRAFIA

Komienso

“For di mucha mi tabata konta kuenta na entiero. Paden nan tabata resa i yora morto, mientras ku pafó e hendenan tabata distraí di tristesa ku mi kuentanan.”

— Wilfrido Ortega

Na 1958 Wilfrido Ortega a retirá for di refineria i a dediká su mes na skibi buki. E promé ku el a skibi i a duna enkargo pa laga imprimí serka Otto Zalm, a tarda asina tantu, ku e mes a disidí di kumpra aparatonan pa e por traha su mes bukinan. El a kumpra e.o. un mashin di type i di sténsel ku e sèn ku el a haña ora ku el a kita for di CPIM.

02 / BIOGRAFIA

Titulonan konmemorativo

Destino di Amor (1960) · Bo por pordoná mi? (2007) · B’a kobra mi (2013)

E promé manuskrito di Destino di Amor ta’tin 500 pagina. Riba rekomendashon di Otto Zalm, a redusí e paginanan na sesenta pa baha gastu di imprenta. Na 2007, Wilfrido a selebrá 75 aña di bida i 50 aña ku e outor a kuminsá publiká. Pa e okashon aki, Kas di Kultura a presentá e buki Bo por Pordona mi. B’a kobra mi ta e último publikashon di Ortega. Den e buki tin indikashon ku esaki ta su di 168 titulo ku e ta publiká. E tres bukinan aki skirbí pa Wilfrido Ortega ku sigur otro hende a imprimí. Tur sobrá e mes a imprimí.

03 / BIOGRAFIA

Aksesibildat di e material

Wilfrido a yega di bisa ku no tin niun di su klientenan ku tin tur su bukinan. Esaki ta konta tambe pa institutonan literario riba e tres islanan ku e outor a distribuí su bukinan. E bukinan publiká despues di 2008 ta mas aksesibel na e diferente institunan literario i kultural. Remarkabel ta, ku tin titulo ku ainda no a topa i ya kaba ta bisto ku ta den kolekshonnan privá tin mas posibilidat di hañanan.

04 / BIOGRAFIA

Rekonosementu

Invitashon Premio Joseph Sickman Corsen 2016

“Loke pa e kritíko literario por parse na promé instante di poko balor òf inferior, por ta oro pa e historiadó literario.”

Tradukshon poetiko di Nifa Ansano pa un ekspreshon di Wim Rutgers.

Na 1990 e Fundashon Kinderen in aktie, presidí pa Guillermo Rosario a duna rekonosemntu na diferente baluarte, entrenan Wilfrido Ortega. E rekonosementu tabata pa nan aporte na komunidat.

Na 2007 Kas di Kultura Kòrsou tambe a duna homenahe na Wilfrido. Durante e enkuentro Drs. Richard Hooi a papia di su balor pa literatura papiamentu i Drs. Rene Rosalia su balor kultural. Cas di Cultura Aruba tambe a duna atenshon na Wilfrido.

Di Fundashon Arte di Palabra el a risibí un tapushi literario na 2008 komo baluarte pa idioma papiamentu. Pa su produktividat, el a risibí e premio literario Joseph Sickman Corsen di Biblioteka Nashonal Kòrsou na 2016.

BIOGRAFIA / BIOGRAPHY

His life

Wilfrido Ortega · 26 October 1932 – 26 May 2026

01 / BIOGRAPHY

Beginnings

“Ever since I was a child, I used to tell stories at funerals. Inside, people were praying and mourning the deceased, while outside my stories distracted people from their sadness.”

— Wilfrido Ortega

In 1958, Wilfrido Ortega left the refinery and devoted himself to writing books. The first book he wrote and commissioned Otto Zalm to print took so long that he decided to buy the equipment to produce his own books. With the money he received on leaving CPIM, he bought, among other things, a typewriter and a stencil machine.

02 / BIOGRAPHY

Commemorative titles

Destino di Amor (1960) · Bo por pordoná mi? (2007) · B’a kobra mi (2013)

The first manuscript of Destino di Amor contained 500 pages. On Otto Zalm’s recommendation, the manuscript was reduced to sixty pages to lower printing costs. In 2007 Wilfrido celebrated his 75th birthday and 50 years since he began publishing. To mark the occasion, Kas di Kultura presented Bo por Pordona mi. B’a kobra mi is Ortega’s last publication. The book indicates that it was his 168th published title. These three books written by Wilfrido Ortega were certainly printed by someone else. He printed all the others himself.

03 / BIOGRAPHY

Access to the material

Wilfrido once said that none of his customers owned all his books. The same applies to literary institutions on the three islands where he distributed his books. Publications issued after 2008 are more accessible in the various literary and cultural institutions. Remarkably, some titles have still not been located, and private collections already appear to offer further opportunities to find them.

04 / BIOGRAPHY

Recognition

“What may at first seem of little value or inferior to the literary critic may be gold to the literary historian.”

Poetic translation by Nifa Ansano of an expression by Wim Rutgers.

In 1990, Fundashon Kinderen in aktie, chaired by Guillermo Rosario, recognized several prominent community members, including Wilfrido Ortega, for their contributions to the community.

In 2007, Kas di Kultura Kòrsou also paid tribute to Wilfrido. At the gathering, Drs. Richard Hooi spoke about his value to Papiamentu literature, and Drs. Rene Rosalia about his cultural significance. Cas di Cultura Aruba also acknowledged Wilfrido.

In 2008, he received a literary tapushi from Fundashon Arte di Palabra as an important figure for the Papiamentu language. In 2016, Biblioteka Nashonal Kòrsou awarded him the Joseph Sickman Corsen literary prize for his productivity.