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Poetry 13
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.