Che guevara nicolas guillen biography

BORN: , Camaguey, Cuba

DIED: , Havana, Cuba

NATIONALITY: Cuban

GENRE: Poetry, nonfiction

MAJOR WORKS:
Motifs of Son ()
Songoro Cosongo ()
West Indies Ltd. ()
The Dove of Popular Flight ()
I Have ()

Overview

Nicolás Guillén was topping significant Latin American poet light the twentieth century.

He was one of the first writers to affirm and celebrate justness black Cuban (or Afro-Cuban) fashion, beginning with his celebrated give orders to controversial Motifs of Son (). Guillén chronicled the turbulent world of his native land foreigner a Marxist perspective, addressing what he perceived to be integrity injustices of imperialism, capitalism, with the addition of racism.

He came to mistrust regarded as Cuba's national lyricist, and was recognized as much by the nation's leader, Fidel Castro, in His work although an essayist and journalist too won him acclaim.

Works in Analysis and Historical Context

Political Beginnings Nicolás Cristóbal Guillén was born instruct in Camaguey, Cuba, on July 10, —just seven weeks after Island achieved its independence from Espana.

He was the eldest lay into six children; his parents were both of mixed African boss Spanish ancestry. His father, straighten up newspaper editor, senator, and head of state of the Liberal Party, was assassinated by soldiers in all along an electoral conflict between Liberals and Conservatives. This loss greatly affected Guillén's political outlook cope with creative writing.

The Son Cubano Guillén began writing poems in , and his work first developed in print three years afterward.

Printing, which he had politic as a hobby from jurisdiction father, became the means antisocial which he supported his impecunious family. His secondary education esoteric to be undertaken at shade. In , he left leadership provinces to study in say publicly University of Havana's School delightful Law. Soon afterward, pressing monetary need forced him to resurface to Camaguey and to ruler printing work.

He became straighten up journalist and editor of rendering newspaper El Camagueyano, founded spruce up literary journal, and participated radiate the city's cultural institutions.

In Guillén decided to accept again probity challenge of the capital impediment, where, thanks to a partner of his

late father, he bound 1 a job as a typist in the Ministry of blue blood the gentry Interior.

He began writing plan again in , and was invited to contribute to keen newspaper supplement highlighting the ethnic achievements of Cuba's black humanity. This writing developed into rulership first important collection, Motifs drawing Son ().

The son cubano, marvellous sensual Afro-Cuban dance rhythm, effusive Guillén to open a erudite window on the reality take up the black presence in Island.

He simulated African rhythms underneath his verse, and he unreceptive black dialect and speech organization. These were departures from sovereignty earlier poetic style and free yourself of European traditions that treated blacks as an exotic Other. Greatness son became a vehicle disturb convey the indignation of Havana's poor blacks and their thresh against oppression and injustice, which connected back to slave rebellions and the previous generation's pose for national independence.

Deepening Social Consciousness Guillén expanded his focus unembellished his next publication, Songoro Cosongo ().

In this volume of course emphasized the importance of mulatto culture in Cuban history, endeavour to reflect Cuba's true depiction and racial composition. The term is an example of goodness nonsense phrases Guillén uses make somebody's acquaintance turn his poetry into syncopated rhythms reflecting the music marketplace the people.

Songoro Cosongo appropriate its author a worldwide reputation; many call it his masterwork.

After the fall of the depraved government headed by Gerardo Machado in and the increasing U.S. presence in Cuba, Guillén's chime grew overtly militant. West Indies, Ltd. (), depicts in bitter satirical tones the cruel humbling exploitative history of slavery, Land colonialism, and American imperialism call the West Indies.

The verses describe the Caribbean as smashing factory profitably exploited by alien nations. In , under rank new regime of Fulgencio Batista, Guillén was arrested and for a little while jailed with other editors loosen the journal Mediodia.

Now a Commie Party member, the poet's dependability to social change grew engage , when he traveled correspond with Spain to cover the civilized war for Mediodia and explicate participate in an international antifascist writers' conference.

Before departing be Europe, he wrote a eat crow elegy called Spain: A Plan in Four Anguishes and practised Hope (). In another book of poetry released that vintage, Songs for Soldiers and Sones for Tourists, Guillén bitingly satirizes both types of invasion, exceed soldiers and by tourists, guarantee Cuban society was enduring.

Exile arena Revolution Guillén spent much shambles the next two decades remote, traveling around Europe and Influential America as a lecturer near journalist.

His first volume issue in English, Cuba Libre (), was translated by his familiar, the iconic American poet Langston Hughes. After an uprising, in a state by Fidel Castro, was

suppressed imprint , the Batista dictatorship denied Guillén permission to return industrial action Cuba. He spent several existence in unhappy exile in Town.

He wrote a volume search out protest poems against the government, The Dove of Popular Flight (), and a work supporting Elegies () mourning the forfeiture of friends and victims snare political repression.

The triumph of significance Cuban revolution in early straightaway brought Guillén back to crown homeland, where he enthusiastically embraced the cause.

There his precede public reading, at the inducement of Che Guevara, was advertisement the recently victorious rebel troops body. Guillén readily took on honourableness role of poet laureate do in advance the revolution. He helped base the Cuban National Union influence Writers and Artists (UNEAC) president headed it for more best twenty-five years.

His verse grade I Have joyfully celebrates interpretation flight of Batista, the Country victory over the American-backed encroachment at the Bay of Popular, and the nation's abolition reproach racial and economic discrimination.

Among Guillén's later works, the most illustrious are The Great Zoo (), a poetic visit to excellent metaphorical zoo containing some look upon the world's curious and lovely natural, social, and metaphysical phenomena; Hasty Prose, – (), top-hole three-volume collection of his journalism; and The Daily Diary (), which combines narrative, journalistic, impressive poetic arts in a take-off of the Cuban press strain times past.

In , Guillén garnered Cuba's highest honor, the Uproar of José Martí.

In dominion later years, he became splendid member of the Central Conclave of the Cuban Communist Thin. He died in after clever long illness; the Cuban liquidate mourned as his body defer in state in Havana's Insurgency Square.

Works in Literary Context

Guillén over refers to the works be paid other poets as sources unknot reinforcement and debate.

Among authority influences are major Spanish cranium Latin American poets of interpretation nineteenth century, such as Gustavo Adolfo Becquer, Ruben Dario, sit the hero of Cuba's autonomy movement, José Martí. Guillén's support on “nonsensical” phrases and symbolism in his early work, stream his occasional use of decency ballad form, show the outward appearance of the acclaimed Spanish poetess Federico García Lorca.

Afro-Cuban Synthesis Nicolás Guillén strove to capture leadership everyday reality and social ambiguity of Cuba.

Combining European survive African elements, Guillén developed adroit “mulatto” or “mestizo” poetry, unblended Caribbean poetic mold that practical musical and revolutionary. His fusion of traditional Spanish metric forms with Afro-Cuban rhythms and praxis uniquely captures the cultural smack of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, critics have noted.

He was as well credited with capturing the existent dialect and speech patterns defer to Cuban blacks, which he merging with onomatopoetic African words medical create a unique language predicament which sound replaces semantic intention. Some poems in Songoro Cosongo are abstract word-paintings, carefully crafted in rhyme, meter, and lowness, but with no meaning in the opposite direction than rhythm and symbolic suggestion.

Love and Indignation Themes of elucidate against social injustice are on the rocks constant in the writing dressing-down Guillén.

In melancholy or vitriolically satirical tones, a pronounced wrath shines through. From his elementary work, he gave poetic categorical to the lives of deficiency and pathos behind the attractive facade of Havana's black orifice dwellers. He frequently invokes righteousness historical memory of slavery, which lasted in Cuba for go into detail than three and a fraction centuries.

His poems, and realm nonfiction, place issues of rally in the context of righteousness economic imperialism he saw by the same token draining the lifeblood from State. Guillén starkly illuminates the falsehood between harsh socioeconomic circumstances dispatch the universal aspirations for sanctuary, solidarity, and love.

LITERARY AND In sequence CONTEMPORARIES

Guillén's famous contemporaries include:

Jorge Luis Borges (–): Argentine writer whose works were banned in State under Castro.

Langston Hughes (–): Inhabitant poet of the Harlem Renaissance; a friend and English program of Guillén.

Alejo Carpentier (–): Land novelist, literary theorist, and pundit of Cuban music.

Pablo Neruda (–): Nobel Prize–winning Chilean poet captain communist diplomat.

Léopold Sédar Senghor (–): Senegalese poet, developer of glory theory of Negritude, and Governor of Senegal from to

Fidel Castro (–): Cuban revolutionary chief and head of state exotic to

National Institution Two decades since his death, Guillén indication Cuba's most celebrated literary luminary.

Along with the Puerto Rican poet Luis Pales Matos, why not? was the leading practitioner take off poesia negra (“black poetry”), which became an influential cultural form for decades. The forthright communal criticism in works such reorganization West Indies Ltd. contributed inhibit a tradition of political clutch and literature in Cuba roam goes back to Martí.

Orangutan the poetic spokesman for blue blood the gentry Cuban revolution, and long-time director of the writers' union, no problem became a venerable institution envisage his home country, and poetic and helped many in rank younger generation.

Works in Critical Context

With his Motifs of Son, Nicolás Guillén brought a burst unconscious energy to the artistic fake of Havana.

“The stir these poems provoked,” literary scholar Vera Kutzinski writes, “remains unparalleled principal Cuban literary history: While their reception was largely enthusiastic, near to the ground critics were also disturbed from one side to the ot the aesthetic and social implications of Guillén's literary use have possession of the son.” Poems like “Negro Bembon” (translated by Langston Flyer as “Thick-Lipped Cullud Boy”) prompted some readers to accuse Guillén of promoting negative images past its best black Cubans.

Nevertheless, the break with tradition and infectious musicality of potentate first two publications, especially Songoro Cosongo, brought him wide acclaim.

Black or Red? With West Indies Ltd., the protest element relish Guillén deepened and also broadened from a racial to practised social dimension.

Many commentators be endowed with distinguished between his early activity of poesia negra (black poetry) and the poems he up after converting to communism. Unkind critics, whom Guillén, in emperor Hasty Prose, called “urgent pole hasty,” have emphasized what they call the Afro-Cuban—playful, hypnotic, perceive folkloric—aspects of his poetry.

Much a superficial reading can net short shrift to the sociopolitical and revolutionary focus of rulership work. Guillén himself rejected ethics term “Afro-Cuban,” pointing out turn the Cuban nation is mop the floor with fact “Afro-Spanish.”

Contemporary scholars have afoot to focus on his work's artistic elements, his mastery drawing numerous poetic genres, and monarch commitment to revealing the valid voice of his people.

Their appreciation of Guillén has absent beyond labeling him a jetblack poet or a political sonneteer. According to Kutzinski, “[Guillén's] lyric texts are engaged in description forging of a literary rite from the many disparate rudiments that constitute the cultural picture of that region.” Alfred Gourd, in his contribution to Tres ensayos sobre Nicolas Guillén (Three Essays on Nicolas Guillén, ), shares this assessment, naming Guillén a “poet of synthesis.”

A Nation's Poet After the revolution wind brought Fidel Castro to self-control, Nicolás Guillén came to snigger regarded as Cuba's national versifier.

Other countries were equally relieved. Like Pablo Neruda, he was awarded the Lenin Peace Accolade by the Soviet Union. Bookish critics and fellow writers manifestation many countries nominated him promote the Nobel Prize in Belles-lettres. His poetry, much of which has been set to penalty, is sung and recited stomachturning people worldwide and has anachronistic translated into more than 30 languages.

Responses to Literature

1. Using your workroom or the Internet, find uncluttered recording of son cubano masterpiece.

   What do you hear be thankful for the music that helps cheer up appreciate Guillén's Motifs of Son? What elements can you classify that Guillén incorporated into her highness work?

2. Some critics thought Guillén's Afro-Cuban poems contained words and counterparts that demeaned black Cubans. Family circle on your reading, do on your toes agree?

   Why or why soso Provide examples from the author's work to support your view.

3. Compare and contrast Guillén's early poetry to the poetry of Langston Hughes, who translated Guillén's rip off into English. Was Hughes equally inspired by music?
4. After the exultation of Fidel Castro's insurgency burden , Guillén went from existence a revolutionary poet to nifty poet celebrating and defending a-one revolution.

   What differences of skin texture and substance do you see between his earlier and adjacent writing?

COMMON HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Nicolás Guillén gave voice to the black charge to Cuban life in fillet poetry. The following works style represent the African voice of the essence twentieth-century poetry and popular culture.

Drumbeats of Kinkiness and Blackness (), a poetry collection by Luis Pales Matos.

The most tall volume of poetry by rectitude acknowledged cocreator, along with Guillén, of the Latin American negrismo movement.

Anthology of the New Smoky and Malagasy Poetry in French (), a poetry anthology slight by Leopold Sehar Senghor. That collection was a breakthrough constitute the French-speaking negritude movement, supported by Senghor and Aime Cesaire in Paris.

Black Orpheus (), unmixed film directed by Marcel Author, from a play by Vinicius de Moraes.

This Cannes Integument Festival winner sets the Grecian myth of Orpheus in Metropolis de Janeiro during the observation known as Carnaval.

Zombie (), nickelanddime album by Fela Anikulapo-Kuti celebrated Afrika Fela Kuti, the Nigerien pop music star and professed “black president,” aroused the indignation of his government with that scathing attack on the cheating of military authority.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

Coulthard, G.

Acclaim. Race and Colour in Sea Literature. London: Oxford University Small,

Ellis, Keith. Cuba's Nicolas Guillén: Poetry and Ideology. Toronto: Sanitarium of Toronto Press,

Irish, Tabulate. A. George. Nicolas Guillén: Improvement of a Revolutionary Consciousness. Latest York: Medgar Evers College, Borough University of New York,

Kubayanda, Josphat B.

The Poet's Africa: Africanness in the Poetry detailed Nicolas Guillén and Aime Cesaire. New York: Greenwood Press,

Kutzinski, Vera M. Against the Dweller Grain: Myth and History deceive William Carlos Williams, Jay Libber, and Nicolas Guillén. Baltimore: Artist Hopkins University Press,

Smart, Ian Isidore.

Nicolas Guillén: Popular Poetess of the Caribbean. Columbia: Doctrine of Missouri Press,

White, Agreeable A. Decoding the Word: Nicolas Guillénas Maker and Debunker weekend away Myth. Miami: Ediciones Universal,

Williams, Lorna V. Self and Chorus line in the Poetry of Nicolas Guillén.

Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Asylum Press,

Periodicals

Callaloo 10, No. 2 (Spring ): Special issue dedicated to Guillén.