Afro-Cuban Literature Critical Junctures

Subjects:

• Literature » World Literature
• Multicultural Studies » Caribbean Studies

Reviews:

• Mullen has carried out extensive and well-documented research of an area of study he knows well.
  —South Atlantic Review
• 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

• Endorsement From Richard Jackson, Professor Emeritus
  Carleton University, Canada: Draws on Mullen's wide range of interests and consolidates in one comprehensive volume much of his previous work in the area.
• Endorsement From William W. Megenney
  Professor of Spanish and Portuguese
  University of California, Riverside: [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.

Table of Contents:

• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• The Critical Axis
• Peninsular Origins: Simón Aguado's Entremés de los negros
• Juan Francisco Manzano: Building a Tradition
• The Black Witch Doctors
• Nicolás Guillén's Son Motifs: Afro-Cubanism Comes of Age
• Shaping the Canon: The Flowering of Afro-Cubanism
• Appendix to the Introduction: Afro-Cuban Poetry by José Juan Arrom
• Appendix to Chapter 2: Black Interlude by Simón Aguado
• Appendix to Chapter 5: Son Motifs by Nicolás Guillén
• Selected Bibliography
• Index