African American Research Center, Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Notes:
341 p., Examines the long-running debate between the proponents of Afro-Cuban cultural manifestations and the predominantly white Cuban intelligentsia who viewed these traditions as "backward" and counter to the interests of the young Republic. Includes analyses of the work of Felipe Pichardo Moya, Alejo Carpentier, Nicolás Guillén, Emilio Ballagas, José Zacarías Tallet, Felix B. Caignet, Marcelino Arozarena, and Alfonso Camín.
Discusses the themes of subjectivity and sexual, racial, and cultural identity in literature by LGBT Cuban authors, with particular focus given to the short stories "Piazza Margana" by Calvert Casey and "La más prohibida des todas" by Sonia Rivera-Valdés. The exiled status of the authors and its influence on their work is examined, and the different experiences of Cuban gay men and lesbians are explored.
