Martí, José Julián

Martí, José Julián

▪ Cuban patriot
in full  José Julián Martí y Pérez  
born January 28, 1853, Havana, Cuba
died May 19, 1895, Dos Ríos
 poet and essayist, patriot and martyr, who became the symbol of Cuba's struggle for independence from Spain. His dedication to the goal of Cuban freedom made his name a synonym for liberty throughout Latin America. As a patriot, Martí organized and unified the movement for Cuban independence and died on the battlefield fighting for it. As a writer, he was distinguished for his personal prose and deceptively simple, sincere verse on themes of a free and united America.

      Educated first in Havana, Martí had published several poems by the age of 15, and at age 16 he founded a newspaper, La Patria Libre (“The Free Fatherland”). During a revolutionary uprising that broke out in Cuba in 1868, he sympathized with the patriots, for which he was sentenced to six months of hard labour and, in 1871, deported to Spain. There he continued his education and his writing, receiving both an M.A. and a degree in law from the University of Zaragoza in 1874 and publishing political essays. He spent the next few years in France, in Mexico, and in Guatemala, writing and teaching, and returned to Cuba in 1878.

      Because of his continued political activities, however, Martí was again exiled from Cuba to Spain in 1879. From there he went to France, to New York City, and, in 1881, to Venezuela, where he founded the Revista Venezolana (“Venezuelan Review”). The politics of his journal, however, provoked Venezuela's dictator, Antonio Guzmán Blanco, and Martí returned that year to New York City, where he remained, except for occasional travels, until the year of his death.

      Martí continued to write and publish newspaper articles, poetry, and essays. His regular column in La Nación of Buenos Aires made him famous throughout Latin America. His poetry, such as the collection Versos libres (1913; “Free Verses”), written between 1878 and 1882 on the theme of freedom, reveals a deep sensitivity and an original poetic vision. Martí's essays, which are considered by most critics his greatest contribution to Spanish American letters, helped to bring about innovations in Spanish prose and to promote better understanding among the American nations. In essays such as "Emerson" (1882), "Whitman" (1887), "Nuestra América" (1881; “Our America”), and "Bolívar" (1893), Martí expressed his original thoughts about Latin America and the United States in an intensely personal style that is still considered a model of Spanish prose. His writings reflect his exemplary life, his kindness, his love of liberty and justice, and his deep understanding of human nature. Collections of English translations of Martí's writings are Inside the Monster: Writings on the United States and American Imperialism (1975), Our America: Writings on Latin America and the Cuban Struggle for Independence (1978), and On Education (1979)—all edited by Philip Foner.

      In 1892 Martí was elected delegado (“delegate”; he refused to be called president) of the Partido Revolucionario Cubano (“Cuban Revolutionary Party”) that he had helped to form. Making New York City the centre of operations, he began to draw up plans for an invasion of Cuba. He left New York for Santo Domingo on January 31, 1895, accompanied by the Cuban revolutionary leader Máximo Gómez and other compatriots. They arrived in Cuba to begin the invasion on April 11. Martí's death a month later in battle on the plains of Dos Ríos, Oriente province, came only seven years before his lifelong goal of Cuban independence was achieved.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Martí (y Pérez), José Julián — born Jan. 28, 1853, Havana, Cuba died May 19, 1895, Dos Ríos Cuban poet, essayist, and patriot. Involved in an 1868 revolutionary uprising, Martí was deported to Spain, where he received a law degree and continued his political activities and… …   Universalium

  • Martí (y Pérez), José Julián — (28 ene. 1853, La Habana, Cuba–19 jun. 1895, Dos Ríos). Poeta, ensayista y patriota cubano. Por participar en un levantamiento revolucionario en 1868, Martí fue deportado a España, donde recibió el grado de abogado y prosiguió con sus actividades …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Jose Julian Marti — noun Cuban poet and revolutionary who fought for Cuban independence from Spain (1853 1895) • Syn: ↑Marti • Instance Hypernyms: ↑revolutionist, ↑revolutionary, ↑subversive, ↑subverter, ↑poet …   Useful english dictionary

  • Marti — Martí (y Pérez) (izg. martȋ), José Julián (1853 1895) DEFINICIJA kubanski pjesnik, esejist, novinar i domoljub; organizator i ujedinitelj kubanskog pokreta za neovisnost; pjesme i proza tematski vezane uz slobodnu i ujedinjenu Ameriku (Slobodni… …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • José Martí — For other people named José Martí, see José Martí (disambiguation). José Martí Born José Julián Martí Pérez January 28, 1853 Havana, Cuba Died …   Wikipedia

  • José Martí — Este artículo o sección necesita referencias que aparezcan en una publicación acreditada, como revistas especializadas, monografías, prensa diaria o páginas de Internet fidedignas. Puedes añadirlas así o avisar a …   Wikipedia Español

  • José Francisco Martí y Zayas-Bazán — El Ismaelillo Nacimiento …   Wikipedia Español

  • Jose Marti — José Martí Die Büste von José Martí …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • José Marti — José Martí Die Büste von José Martí …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • José Martí — Nom de naissance José Julián Martí y Pérez Activités Homme politique, poète Naissance 28  …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”