Manuel Ramos Otero (1948–1990) is widely considered to be one of the most important openly gay twentieth-century Puerto Rican writers. Using self-reflective protagonists–gay Puerto Rican male writers living in New York City–he explored the rough edges of the city’s gay subculture.
He is remembered for his short stories as well as his poetry volumes El libro de la muerte (1985), which includes his Epitaphios cycle of poems, and Invitación al polvo (1991). He was also the author of several essays of literary criticism. He died from AIDS in San Juan at age 42.
