27 / 80
Fiction 27
people of West Africa, along with elements of Roman
Catholicism; and produced a study of the Yoruba dialect of
Lucumí.
In 1960, after Fidel Castro came to power, Cabrera left
Cuba. She eventually settled in Florida. There she continued
her ethnological studies and produced two more volumes of
short stories:
Ayapa: cuentos de Jicotea
(1971) and
Cuentos para
adultos, niños y retrasados mentales
(1983; “Stories for Adults,
Children and the Mentally Retarded,” 1983). Cabrera died in
1991 at the age of 91.
Cabrera’s short stories—written in her crisp, direct prose
style—in many cases treat the theme of the eternal battle
between good and evil. Drawing heavily on Afro-Cuban myths
and folklore, the stories are often populated by anthropomor-
phic animals such as Jicotea the turtle and Mayimbe the buz-
zard. Spirits and Yoruba deities also make frequent appear-
ances, and the supernatural routinely intrudes into the world
of humans. “The Hill of Mambiala” is a typical example. At the
Did You Know?
T
he Miguel de Cervantes Prize (Premio de Literatura en Lengua
Castellana Miguel de Cervantes) is a major literary honor. It is award-
ed annually by Spain’s Ministry of Culture, and recognizes the lifetime
achievement of an outstanding writer in the Spanish language. Writers
from any Spanish-speaking country are eligible. Since the award was creat-
ed in 1976, three Cubans have received the Miguel de Cervantes Prize:
novelist Alejo Carpentier (1977), poet Dulce María Loynaz (1992), and
novelist Guillermo Cabrera Infante (1997).