Well, all that took 30 years.
It wasn't done overnight.
And as the author of two novels, which
I wrote both in English and Spanish, which are therefore
accessible to you, I would like to read to you tonight
my bilingual testament--
"The House in the Lagoon" and "Eccentric Neighborhoods."
When I wrote them, I discovered that biculturalism
and bilingualism in this country are not only possible,
but a very enriching possibility.
In Puerto Rico, as part of a multicultural community,
we can look at the world through different sets of glasses.
We can see and understand social transformations
and developments from very different perspectives.
One language can reveal things to us that
remain hidden in the other.
We can focus on things better as each language acts as a filter,
clarifying our thoughts from diverging points of view.
Being a bilingual writer, I've discovered something
I believe is important.
Words, language is what holds us together
as civilized societies.
And in the modern world, it has become
more and more important to speak more than one language.
I think, for example, that it would be wonderful
if Spanish were to be recuperated
by those citizens of Hispanic origin
in this country who have lost it in exile.
And I believe it is a distinct possibility
that this country, where the Hispanic population is becoming
more and more important, may adopt Spanish
in the not too far off future as its second official language.
Considering how important communication
has become in our present time, to speak
both English and Spanish, the language of more than half
the population of this continent,
today would be the reasonable thing
to do for the United States.
In the past, those immigrants who came to this country
would forget their maternal language of their own accord
or would be encouraged to do so by the authorities.
It was the reasonable thing to do,
as exiles had to learn to adapt to a new life
and a new society.
Amnesia was, to a great extent, the best cure
for the pangs of exile.
Today, all this has changed.
And the Hispanic minority is not being absorbed by the Anglo
majority, but is living side by side with it,
adding its culture to the rich diversity of North America.
Even those who have lost their native language because they
arrived here as part of previous waves of immigrants
are looking today to recuperate their lost languages,
assisting the universities, taking language programs
for this purpose, et cetera.
To acquire any language is to become a new person,
to acquire roots that will give our lives additional meaning.
In my case, this has been so.
When I write in English, I am a different person,
although I returned to live in Puerto Rico
seven years ago after living nine years in Washington.
I am an independent woman.
And I keep a cold eye for controversial themes.
In Spanish, I am still sentimental and baroque,
playful instead of utilitarian or puritanical.
In Spanish, I love to play, and I love
to make love and celebrate.
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]