9781422279762

Nicolás Guillén was born in Camagüey in 1902, the year Cuba officially became an independent republic. His parents were both mulattos of mixed Spanish and African ancestry. As he grew up, Guillén became fascinated by African folklore, leg- ends, and songs, elements of which he would later incorporate in his poetry. Guillén published his first volume of poems in 1930. It was titled Motivos de son (“Motifs of Son ”). In this case son (pro- nounced with a long “o”) refers to a style of music (and an associated dance) that combined Spanish and African influ-

Afro-Cuban slaves dance while accompanied by various percussion instruments in this illustration of island life during the Spanish colonial period.

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