Juan Boria (February 17, 1905 – May 29, 1995) also known as the Negro Verse Pharaoh, was a Puerto Rican poet known for his Afro-Caribbean poetry.
[2] At this time, his family moved to the town of Cataño and he started studies in the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras.
In 1938, during a show at the school in Canóvanas, he heard a colleague — Pablito Rivera — recite the Negro poem "La negra curandera."
In 1941, he participated in a show at Loíza, where he met the most important personality in Puerto Rican show-business, Ramón Rivero (known as "Diplo"), who was so impressed with Boria's performance that he made Boria part of his troupe called La Farándula Bohemia, traveling the island and performing as a poet and as an actor.
In 1944, Boria once more joined the famous troupe and accompanied Ramón Rivero (Diplo) to the Panama Canal to entertain Puerto Rican soldiers stationed there.
He followed with travels to the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Venezuela, Spain, and Portugal, as well as New York, where he headlined at the Teatro Puerto Rico, and other cities in the United States.
The show was celebrated in the Roberto Clemente Coliseum and featured singers like Wilkins, Haciendo Punto en Otro Son, and others.