Afro-Cuban Literature: Critical Junctures

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Afro-Cubanism is a movement in Caribbean arts and letters that stemmed from a rediscovery of the region's African heritage during the 1920s and to some extent paralleled the Harlem Renaissance in the United States. Thus the movement was not an isolated fad but the result of a long-standing tradition. Intended for both scholars of Latin American literature and specialists in ethnic studies, this book traces the development of Afro-Cubanism from its origins in medieval Spain to its highest expression in the 1930s. Each chapter offers a close reading of a major text that represents a moment of canonical change. Throughout the volume, special attention is given to the role played by racial ideology in the construction of the literary portrayal of Afro-Cubans. Through a combination of literary history and insightful examination of key texts, the book clarifies issues regarding both the genesis of Afro-Cubanism and its importance in Spanish-American literature, and it links the movement to recent theories of canon formation by examining how Afro-Hispanic literary works have become valued by academic critics and writers. In order to show how nations of race and nationalism contributed to the shaping of the Afro-Cuban vogue, the volume looks at several major works and provides translations into English of a few short but influential studies.

Reviews

"[This book] provides an excellent survey of the complexities of Afro-Cubanism as it develops and as it leaves its indelible mark on the pages of Spanish American literature. By way of historical, social and literary commentaries, the author contributes to a more thorough understanding of the development of a Black presence in both Hispanic and North American literary contexts, detailing its importance with regard to the socio-political milieu and to its acceptance into the canon of Spanish American letters. The inclusion of samples of pertinent texts greatly enhances the discussion of the history and importance of literary contributions by authors of African ancestry to the store of Spanish American literature."-William W. Megenney Professor of Spanish and Portuguese University of California, Riverside
"Draws on Mullen's wide range of interests and consolidates in one comprehensive volume much of his previous work in the area."-Richard Jackson, Professor Emeritus Carleton University, Canada
"Afro-Cuban Literature: Critical Junctures stands out as an example of literary scholarship which is completely devoted to the African contribution and presence in Cuban literature. It is also a comprehensive history with bibliographic details and an almost encyclopedic scope....[F]or all those who are engaged in the study of African presence and contribution to Cuban and indeed Hispanic Caribbean literature, the book is an invaluable resource in the continued debate."-New West Indian Guide
Afro-Cuban Literature: Critical Junctures stands out as an example of literary scholarship which is completely devoted to the African contribution and presence in Cuban literature. It is also a comprehensive history with bibliographic details and an almost encyclopedic scope....[F]or all those who are engaged in the study of African presence and contribution to Cuban and indeed Hispanic Caribbean literature, the book is an invaluable resource in the continued debate.-New West Indian Guide
Mullen has carried out extensive and well-documented research of an area of study he knows well.-South Atlantic Review
"Mullen has carried out extensive and well-documented research of an area of study he knows well."-South Atlantic Review

Author Bio

EDWARD J. MULLEN is Professor of Spanish at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has been the Co-editor of Afro-Hispanic Review and has published numerous articles on Spanish-American literature. He has also written on African-American literature, most notably on the work of Langston Hughes.