Relectura del discurso narrativo de las primeras tres decadas de la Republica Cubana en el contexto de los rasgos de la picaresca

The purpose of this dissertation was to study the narrative discourse of three Cuban novelists who produced their works from 1902 to 1933, using a typology that reveals a picaresque view of Cuban society. Focusing on La conjura and La manigua sentimental by Jesús Castellanos (1879–1912), Las honradas and Las impuras by Miguel de Carrión (1875–1929), and Generales y doctores and Juan Criollo by Carlos Loveira (1882–1928), this dissertation identified and defined picaresque traits and elements in the characterization, contrasting main and secondary, male and female characters, at all social levels. ^ The study considered the theories of the Spanish picaresque novel proposed by Antonio Maravall, Américo Castro, Claudio Guillén, Marcel Bataillon, and other critics, in order to delineate a model of traditional picaresque behavior, which was then applied to the analysis of each character. Sociopolitical and cultural conditions, as well as the psychology of the Cuban collective as presented by the authors, were also analyzed to pinpoint similarities and differences between the traditional Golden Age rogue and the characters created by the authors. ^ Critics who have studied the influence of the Spanish picaresque genre on the Latin American novel make no reference to any of the authors or novels included in this study. Key analyses, however, identified the presence of characters that use picaresque modes of behavior as a means to manipulate the structures of power in order to survive and as a futile attempt to achieve their ends within a socioeconomic context that is undergoing a significant transition. Castellanos' characters use their picaresque behavior mainly to attain a higher social status. Carrion concentrates on picaresque behavior in women as a means to manipulate the dominant male society, while Loveira's picaresque characters are mainly interested in securing a position of political power. ^

La caída del hombre nuevo: Narrativa cubana del “Período Especial”

The purpose of this dissertation is to demonstrate that the societal changes that took place in Cuba during the last decade of the twentieth century, period know as The Special Period in Times of Peace, created the necessary conditions for the development of a new type of narrative. The first chapter constitutes an historical overview of the role of the State in the literary and artistic creation in revolutionary Cuba. The second, third, and fourth chapters analyze the major characteristics in the narrative of this period, creating a contrast with previous decades of the revolutionary era. With such purpose the study is divided into three categories: language, themes, and ideology. The usage of language as a means of transgression, the recurrence of the topic of need, and the rebirth of critical thinking, represent the principal characteristics of this literary period, and confirm the main idea of this dissertation: the fall of the ideal of the New Man. The final chapter summarizes the findings of the study and poses a question: If the ideal of the New Man has ceased to exist, what has replaced it? The question of whether or not a new ideal has replaced that of the New Man, and what that ideal might be, constitutes a stepping-stone for further studies in the area of Cuban narrative of the Special Period and beyond.

A Minimal History of the Cuban Revolution (Historia mínima de Ia Revolución Cubana), Book Presentation by Author Rafael Rojas

This flyer promotes the event "A Minimal History of the Cuban Revolution (Historia mínima de Ia Revolución Cubana), Book Presentation by Author Rafael Rojas", part at the SIPA at Books & Books series. This event held at Books & Books in Coral Gables.

9ª Conferencia de Estudios Cubanos y Cubanoamericanos: Pueblos dispersos: La diáspora cubana y otras diásporas

This is the call for papers and panels in Spanish for the 9th Conference on Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, Dispersed Peoples: The Cuban and Other Diasporas

Relectura del discurso narrativo de las tres primeras décadas de la República cubana en el contexto de los rasgos de la picaresca

The purpose of this dissertation was to study the narrative discourse of three Cuban novelists who produced their works from 1902 to 1933, using a typology that reveals a picaresque view of Cuban society. Focusing on La conjura and La manigua sentimental by Jesús Castellanos (1879-1912), Las honradas and Las impuras by Miguel de Carrión (1875-1929), and Generales y doctores and Juan Criollo by Carlos Loveira (1882-1928), this dissertation identified and defined picaresque traits and elements in the characterization, contrasting main and secondary, male and female characters, at all social levels. The study considered the theories of the Spanish picaresque novel proposed by Antonio Maravall, Américo Castro, Claudio Guillén, Marcel Bataillon, and other critics, in order to delineate a model of traditional picaresque behavior, which was then applied to the analysis of each character. Sociopolitical and cultural conditions, as well as the psychology of the Cuban collective as presented by the authors, were also analyzed to pinpoint similarities and differences between the traditional Golden Age rogue and the characters created by the authors. Critics who have studied the influence of the Spanish picaresque genre on the Latin American novel make no reference to any of the authors or novels included in this study. Key analyses, however, identified the presence of characters that use picaresque modes of behavior as a means to manipulate the structures of power in order to survive and as a futile attempt to achieve their ends within a socioeconomic context that is undergoing a significant transition. Castellanos’ characters use their picaresque behavior mainly to attain a higher social status. Carrión concentrates on picaresque behavior in women as a means to manipulate the dominant male society, while Loveira’s picaresque characters are mainly interested in securing a position of political power.

El Posnacionalismo en la Narrativa Cubana Actual: Reivindicación de lo Privado y lo Homoerótico

La novela posnacional es un fenómeno relativamente reciente en la literatura latinoamericana. Sus orígenes se sitúan en los noventa, como parte de una narrativa que se rebela contra la llamada literatura del Boom originada en los sesenta. Los escritores posnacionales—a diferencia de sus predecesores—no se muestran obsesionados por la identidad latinoamericana. La globalización, el fracaso del socialismo y el descrédito de las grandes utopías son otros fenómenos que explican la emergencia de una narrativa que trasciende los márgenes nacionales. La literatura posnacional cubana se inserta dentro de esta corriente. Luego de la caída del Muro de Berlín, los jóvenes escritores cubanos comienzan a incluir una retórica diferente en sus creaciones: eluden el compromiso político militante, evitan los mensajes altruistas y abandonan las pretensiones de definir posiciones con relación al futuro de la patria o a su propia identidad. El proyecto revolucionario y su destino—tópico narrativo por más de tres décadas—desaparece como tema. El modo particular de la literatura posnacional cubana se expresa en la desesperanza y el desencanto. El propósito de esta disertación es ejemplificar dicha noción a través del análisis de los proyectos literarios de tres escritoras cubanas contemporáneas: Ena Lucía Portela, Anna Lidia Vega Serova y Karla Suárez. Además de sus cuentos, se analizan las novelas “Djuna y Daniel”, de Ena Lucía Portela; “Ánima fatua”, de Anna Lidia Vega Serova y “La viajera” de Karla Suárez. Estas novelas, además de ser ejemplos de la existencia en Cuba de una tradición en la narrativa latinoamericana contemporánea desvinculada de las preocupaciones nacionales, rompen con el paradigma del hombre heterosexual revolucionario. Los protagonistas de estas nuevas ficciones, por lo general mujeres, son personas desarraigadas y alejadas de la sociedad, ocasionales consumidoras de estupefacientes y que practican relaciones homosexuales. La transgresión de los estereotipos de género y de los comportamientos heteronormativos se convierte en un instrumento de dinámica posmoderna que presenta nuevos códigos y supone un desafío a los principios tradicionales del modelo revolucionario cubano.

The Virgin of Charity in the Soul of the Cuban People, Book Presentation by Author Emilio Cueto, Comments by Uva de Aragón

This flyer promotes the event "The Virgin of Charity in the Soul of the Cuban People, Book Presentation by Author Emilio Cueto, Comments by Uva de Aragón" cosponsored by the National Associate of Cuban-America Educators (NACAE) and Herencia Cultural Cubana.

Children's Literature, Ideology, and Cultural Identity Before and After the Cuban Revolution

Mediante de un acercamiento cronológico, esta disertación analiza la función de la ideología como herramienta poderosa para construir la nación y moldear al futuro ciudadano en la narrativa infantil cubana pre y pos-revolucionaria. Aunque una tradición y un proceso de formación de identidad nacional anteceden la literatura infantil publicada antes del triunfo de la Revolución, en los períodos posteriores existe una estrecha relación entre el contexto social de los textos y su función ideológica. Partiendo de “La Edad de Oro” (1889) de José Martí, este estudio se enfoca en los cambios socio-culturales que influyen en el desarrollo de una narrativa infantil nacional que transita del didacticismo más férreo a una variada exploración temática. Por encontrarse entre la Colonia y la etapa revolucionaria, el período republicano ha recibido poca atención crítica, marginado a veces de la herencia literaria de la nación. Sin embargo, el análisis de varios textos representativos en este período permite apreciar la integración de un pensamiento cubano desde búsquedas y posiciones muy diferentes a las del período siguiente, de 1959 a 1989. A partir de 1990 una diversificación temática fomenta objetivos muy distantes del enunciado didáctico. Este estudio concluye que en contraste con los pertenecientes a generaciones anteriores, en los escritores formados dentro de la Revolución, especialmente a partir de la década del ochenta, existe un interés especial por abordar temáticas inexploradas en la literatura infantil tradicional. El divorcio, la muerte, los conflictos generacionales y las diferencias raciales son sólo algunos de los temas que matizan la narrativa infantil posrevolucionaria, cuyos presupuestos ideo-estéticos, se encuentran intrínsecamente relacionados al contexto sociocultural.