"The 'spy-glass of Anthropology,' Zora Neale Hurston's telling metaphor for anthropological training under Franz Boaz during her Barnard years, is the most quoted and least interpreted image in a body of work remarkable for its rich configuration." --The Author
African American Research Center, Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Notes:
214 p, This study offers a unique perspective in interpreting the cultural politics of Cuba's complex history through an exploration of the country's literature. The book introduces readers to some of Cuba's most eminent and engaging voices by examining some of the historical tropes put forth by major writers. Drawing on an array of interpretive approaches from mythopoetic analysis to phenomenology, West addresses the work of Nancy Morejon, Alejo Carpentier, Virgilio Pinera, Dulce Maria Loynaz, Jose Lezama Lima, and Severo Sarduy. This poetic look at Cuba's rich and turbulent history through the eyes of its writers will be of interest to students and scholars of Latin American history and culture; Includes bibliographical references