Nancy Morejón
Encyclopedia
Nancy Morejón is one of Cuba
's major authors and poets. She has gained recognition for work whose themes are centered on women and the Afro-Cuban experience.
, having studied European, Caribbean and Cuban Literature and fluent in French
, English
, and Spanish
. She later taught French at an elite Cuban academy and held posts in Cuba's Ministry of the Interior. She is a well-regarded translator of French and English into Spanish, particularly Caribbean literature as well as works by such authors as Alice Walker
, and she has been an editor for the Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba. Intellectually prolific, she has produced a number of journalistic, critical, and dramatic works. Some of the most notable have been book-length treatments of another famous Afro-Cuban poet, Nicolas Guillen
, which confirmed her as his literary heir. In 1986 she won the Cuban "Premio de la crítica" (Critic's Prize) for Piedra Pulida, and in 2001 won Cuba's National Prize for Literature, a first for a black woman.She also won the Goldenn Wreath of the Struga poetry evenings
for 2006. She has toured extensively in the United States, and her work has been translated into numerous languages. She continues to work, based in her native country of Cuba.
. In addition, she also voices the situation of women in her within her society, expressing the feminism
(as well as the racial integration) of the Cuban revolution by making black women central protagonists in her poems, most notably in the widely anthologized Mujer Negra (Black Woman). Finally, her work also treats the history of slavery and mistreatment in the relationship of Cuba and the United States
, with a view towards arousing outrage toward abuse.
However, although her work pays attention to political themes, is not exclusively dominated by them. Critics have noted her playful observations about her own people, her effective use of particularly Cuban forms of humor, and her regular "indulgence" in highly lyrical, intimate, spiritual, or even erotic poetry.
Monographs:
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
's major authors and poets. She has gained recognition for work whose themes are centered on women and the Afro-Cuban experience.
Life history
Born in Havana to working-class parents, Morejon excelled in school, beginning to write poems at age 13 and earning English-teaching credentials by age 15. She has written that her father's African heritage and her mother's Chinese and European ancestry gave her an early appreciation of blended dual identity and transculturation, though her prime identity is as an Afro-Caribbean woman. Her first book of poetry, Mutismos, was published when she was 18. She went on to graduate with honors at the University of HavanaUniversity of Havana
The University of Havana or UH is a university located in the Vedado district of Havana, Cuba. Founded in 1728, the University of Havana is the oldest university in Cuba, and one of the first to be founded in the Americas...
, having studied European, Caribbean and Cuban Literature and fluent in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. She later taught French at an elite Cuban academy and held posts in Cuba's Ministry of the Interior. She is a well-regarded translator of French and English into Spanish, particularly Caribbean literature as well as works by such authors as Alice Walker
Alice Walker
Alice Malsenior Walker is an American author, poet, and activist. She has written both fiction and essays about race and gender...
, and she has been an editor for the Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba. Intellectually prolific, she has produced a number of journalistic, critical, and dramatic works. Some of the most notable have been book-length treatments of another famous Afro-Cuban poet, Nicolas Guillen
Nicolás Guillén
Nicolás Cristóbal Guillén Batista was a Cuban poet, journalist, political activist, and writer. He is best remembered as the national poet of Cuba.Guillén was born in Camagüey, Cuba...
, which confirmed her as his literary heir. In 1986 she won the Cuban "Premio de la crítica" (Critic's Prize) for Piedra Pulida, and in 2001 won Cuba's National Prize for Literature, a first for a black woman.She also won the Goldenn Wreath of the Struga poetry evenings
Struga Poetry Evenings
Struga Poetry Evenings is an international poetry festival held annually in Struga, Republic of Macedonia. During the several decades of its existence, the Festival has awarded its most prestigious award, the Golden Wreath, to some of the most notable international poets, including: Mahmoud...
for 2006. She has toured extensively in the United States, and her work has been translated into numerous languages. She continues to work, based in her native country of Cuba.
Themes of work
The themes of her work span a wide scope. She discusses the mythology of the Cuban nation, and the relation of the blacks of Cuba within that nation. In this she often expresses an integrationist, unifying stance, in which Spanish and African cultures fuse to make a new, Cuban identity. Much of her work—and the fact that she has been successful within the Cuban regime—locates her as a supporter of Cuban nationalism and the Cuban RevolutionCuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
. In addition, she also voices the situation of women in her within her society, expressing the feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
(as well as the racial integration) of the Cuban revolution by making black women central protagonists in her poems, most notably in the widely anthologized Mujer Negra (Black Woman). Finally, her work also treats the history of slavery and mistreatment in the relationship of Cuba and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with a view towards arousing outrage toward abuse.
However, although her work pays attention to political themes, is not exclusively dominated by them. Critics have noted her playful observations about her own people, her effective use of particularly Cuban forms of humor, and her regular "indulgence" in highly lyrical, intimate, spiritual, or even erotic poetry.
Selected list of Morejon's works
- Amor, ciudad atribuída, poemas. Habana: Ediciones El Puente, 1964
- Elogio de la danza. Mexico City: La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 1982
- Elogio y paisaje. Habana: Ediciones Unión, 1996
- Fundación de la imagen. Habana: Editorial Letras Cubanas, 1988
- Grenada Notebook/Cuaderno de Granada. Trans. Lisa Davis. New York: Círuculo de Cultura Cubana, 1984
- Mutismos. Habana: Ediciones El Puente, 1962
- Nación y mestizaje en Nicolás Guillén. Habana: Ediciones Unión, 1982
- Octubre imprescindible. Habana: Ediciones Unión, 1982
- Paisaje célebre. Caracas: Fundarte, Alcaldía de Caracas, 1993
- Parajes de una época. Habana: Editorial Letras Caubanas, 1979
- Piedra pulida. Habana: Editorial Letras Cubanas, 1986
- Poemas. Mexico City: Universidad Autónoma de México, 1980
- Poetas del mundo Latino en Tlaxcala. Tlaxcala: Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala,1988
- Recopilación de textos sobre Nicolás Guillén, ed. Habana Casa de las AméricasCasa de las AméricasCasa de las Américas is an organization that was founded by the Cuban Government in April 1959, four months after the Cuban Revolution, for the purpose of developing and extending the socio-cultural relations with the countries of Latin America, the Caribbean and the rest of the world...
, 1974 - Richard trajo su flauta y otros argumentos. Habana: Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba, 1967
- Where the Island Sleeps Like a Wing. Trans. Kathleen Weaver. San Francisco: The Black Scholar Press, 1985
- Mirar Adentro/Looking Within: Selected Poems, 1954-2000 (bilingual edition, African American Life Series). Ed. Juanamaria Cordones-Cook. Wayne State University Press, 2002
- With Eyes and Soul: Images of Cuba. Trans. Pamela Carmell and David Frye. White Pine Press, 2004
Monographs:
- "A un muchacho," "Niña que lee en Estelí," "Soldado y yo." Toulouse: Caravelle, 1982
- Baladas para un sueño. Habana: Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba, 1989
- Le Chaînon Poétique. Trans. Sandra Monet-Descombey. Champigny-sur-Marne, France: Edition L. C. J., 1994
- Cuaderno de Granada. Habana: Casa de las Américas, 1984
- Dos poemas de Nancy Morejón. Drawings and design by Rolando Estévez. Matanzas, Cuba: Ediciones Vigía, 1989
- Lengua de pájaro. With Carmen Gonce. Habana: Instituto Cubano del Libro, 1971
- Poemas de amor y de muerte. Toulouse: Caravelle, 1993
- Ours the Earth. Trans. J.R. Pereira. Mona, Jamaica: Institute of Caribbean Studies, 1990
- El río de Martín Pérez y otros poemas. Drawings and design by Rolando Estévez. Matanzas, Cuba: Ediciones Vigía, 1996