Juan Clemente Zenea was a Cuban writer born in Bayamo, Granma, on February 24, 1832. He is recognised as having been a great influence on Cuban literature for reintroducing Romanticism, marking a new age in Hispano-American poetry.
In 1845 he enrolled in José de la Luz y Caballero's college, where his inclinations towards literature first appeared. In 1846 he published his first poems in "La Prensa", a newspaper based in Havana for which he became a writer in 1849.
From this point on the number of his works grew considerably. For example, he published “La mujer ¿Es un ángel? ¡No es un ángel! ¿Si será o no será?” in collaboration with José Fornaris and Rafael Otero. He wrote "Almendares" together with Idelfonso Estrada Zenea and collaborated on "La voz del pueblo".
Portrait of Clemente Zenea by unknown Honduran artist.
In 1852 he had to emigrate to New Orleans, USA. While there he collaborated on "El correo de Louisiana", "El Independiente" and "Faro de Cuba", carrying out a strong campaign against the Spanish government. Later he moved to New York, where he worked for "El Filibustero", "La Verdad" and "El Cubano". He was condemned to death in Havana in 1853 because of his activities against the Spanish government, but was pardoned due to the general amnesty and was able to return to Cuba the following year. From then on he worked in José de la Luz y Caballero's college as an English teacher. In general he has produced a wide range of works and has received various awards. Some of his poems are included in "El laúd del desterrado" and an uncountable number of his articles appeared in contemporary Cuban and Spanish publications, such as "La Chamarreta", "El Siglo", "Revista del pueblo de Cuba", "Ofrenda al Bazar", "Álbum cubano de lo bueno y lo bello", "La Piragua", "Brisas de Cuba", "Floresta Cubana" and "Guirnalda Cubana", as well as the Spanish magazines "La América" and "La Ilustración Republicana Federal". He founded and directed the "Revista Habanera".
In 1865 he returned to New York to collaborate on the "Revista del Nuevo Mundo". He then moved to Mexico to work on the publication "Diario Oficial". At the beginning of the 1868 war in Cuba he returned to the United States to support the cause, but every expedition in which he took part ended in failure. He managed to reach Cuba secretly in 1870, and after a meeting with Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, leader of the rebellion, he was imprisoned by Spanish troops while trying to return to the United States and shot to death in 1871.
Published works
1855 Poesías
1859 Lejos de la patria. Memorias de un joven poeta
Bartolomé Maximiliano Moré Gutiérrez, better known as Benny Moré, was a Cuban singer, bandleader and songwriter. Due to his fluid tenor voice and his great expressivity, he was known variously as "El Bárbaro del Ritmo" and "El Sonero Mayor". Moré was a master of the soneo – the art of vocal improvisation in son cubano – and many of his tunes developed this way. He often took part in controversias with other singers, including Cheo Marquetti and Joseíto Fernández. Apart from son cubano, Moré was a popular singer of guarachas, cha cha cha, mambo, son montuno, and boleros.
Dulce María Loynaz Muñoz was a Cuban poet, and is considered one of the principal figures of Cuban literature. She was awarded the Miguel de Cervantes Prize in 1992. She earned her Doctorate in Civil Law at University of Havana in 1927.
The guaracha is a genre of music that originated in Cuba, of rapid tempo and comic or picaresque lyrics. The word has been used in this sense at least since the late 18th and early 19th century. Guarachas were played and sung in musical theatres and in working-class dance salons. They became an integral part of bufo comic theatre in the mid-19th century. During the later 19th and the early 20th century the guaracha was a favourite musical form in the brothels of Havana. The guaracha survives today in the repertoires of some trova musicians, conjuntos and Cuban-style big bands.
Zoé Valdés is a Cuban novelist, poet, scriptwriter, film director and blogger. She studied at the Instituto Superior Pedagógico Enrique José Varona, but did not graduate. From 1984 to 1988, she worked for the Delegación de Cuba at UNESCO in Paris and in the Oficina Cultural de la Misión de Cuba in Paris. From 1990 to 1995, she was an editor of the magazine Cine Cubano. She lives with her daughter in Paris. She has been married three times: with Cuban writer Manuel Pereira Quintero, Cuban government official José Antonio González and Cuban independent filmmaker Ricardo Vega.
José María Díaz de la Torre was a Spanish romanticist journalist, playwright, poet, and politician. His classic works are Julio César (1841), Lucio Junio Bruto (1844), Catilina (1856), and La muerte de César (1883). He also wrote under the pseudonym Domingo de Argote. He was also involved in the alta comedia.
Fernando Ramón Martínez Heredia was a prominent Cuban revolutionary thinker and politician. Martínez was a founding member of the Cuban Communist Party, and as a member of the July 26 Movement, he took part in the Revolution which overthrow the Batista dictatorship.
Gustavo Pérez Firmat was born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in Miami, Florida. He attended Miami-Dade Community College, the University of Miami, and the University of Michigan, where he earned a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature. He taught at Duke University from 1979 to 1999 and at Columbia University until 2022. He is currently the David Feinson Professor Emeritus of Humanities at Columbia University.
José Cipriano de la Luz y Caballero was a Cuban scholar, acclaimed by José Martí as "the father ... the silent founder" of Cuban intellectual life of the 19th century. Interest in Luz's work was revived around the time of the Cuban Revolution, and new editions of his work published, as he was regarded as a wellspring of intellectual autonomy for the country.
Eliseo Valdés Erustes is a Cuban artist specializing in sculpture, painting, and drawing.
José Manuel Fors is a contemporary Cuban artist born in Havana in 1956. His work is principally based on installations and supported by photography. His first artistic forays, during the early eighties, were part of what has been coined "The Renaissance of Cuban Art". His artwork has been shown in renowned museums and galleries in the United States, Europe and Cuba.
Carlos Enrique Prado is a contemporary Cuban artist recognized for his contributions to the fields of ceramic sculpture and public art. Currently residing in Miami, Florida, Prado is actively engaged in both the creation of his art and the sharing of his expertise as a professor at the University of Miami in Coral Gables. His artistic endeavors span various mediums, including sculpture, ceramics, drawing, digital art, performance, installations, and interventions, showcasing versatility and creativity throughout his career. One of his notable recent achievements is the completion of the Ronald Reagan Equestrian Monument, a major public sculpture commissioned by Miami-Dade County and situated at the Tropical Park in Miami, Florida. In 2023, Carlos was selected as a member of the International Academy of Ceramics (AIC/IAC) based in Geneva, Switzerland. His affiliation with the AIC/IAC not only signifies his international recognition but also underscores his active engagement with the global ceramics community.
Josignacio is a Cuban Contemporary artist and author. He is among the most significant living contemporary Cuban and Latin American artists due to his career auction records, paint medium innovations, and association with notable cultural events, venues, and celebrity figures in the United States and Cuba.
Domingo del Monte was a writer, lawyer, arts patron, and literary critic, known primarily for contributing to Cuban literature and advocating for public education throughout the country.
Ernesto Hernández Busto is a Cuban writer living in Barcelona (Spain).
Reynaldo Agustín Miravalles de la Luz, known as Reinaldo Miravalles, was a Cuban actor residing in Miami.
Jorge Enrique González Pacheco is an international award-winning Cuban poet, film industry professional, and cultural entrepreneur. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Latin American Literature from University of Havana, Cuba, and a Master's Degree in Hispanic Literature from Complutense University of Madrid, Spain.
Abelardo José Estorino López was a Cuban dramatist, director, and theater critic.
Ana Andrea Cairo Ballester was a Cuban writer, researcher, and professor of literature and philology.
Paulo Simeón is a Cuban-American record producer, television producer, creative director, artist manager and art director, known for his work with artists such as Aymée Nuviola, Paola Guanche, Maía, Fanny Lu, Chucho Valdés, Alexander Abreu, Paula Arenas, Majida Issa and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, among others. Some of the albums he has produced have won awards and nominations in events such as the Latin Grammy and Grammy Awards.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
