Freedom from liberation : slavery, sentiment, and literature in Cuba /

This discerning study delves into the life and work of Juan Francisco Manzano (1797-1854), the enslaved Cuban poet and author of Spanish America's only known slave narrative, Autobiografía de un esclavo (written in 1836, first published in Spanish in 1937). Providing a solid theoretical framework and relying on archival materials, Aching (Africana and Romance studies, Cornell University) concentrates on Manzano's complex relationship with his patrons, particularly Domingo del Monte, to elucidate the often-competing views on freedom espoused by Creoles and slaves. In the introduction Aching provides background on Cuba in the 1830s-40s. In chapter 1, he examines Cuba's Creole reformers, their struggles for greater autonomy from Spain, and their relationship with Manzano. Chapter 2 offers a close reading of Autobiografía de un esclavo, and chapter 3 considers Richard Robert Madden (1798-1886) and his English translations of Manzano's literary works, which, though inadequate, served to introduce the situation of Cuba's slaves to the larger international abolitionist movement. In chapter 4, Aching turns to del Monte's literary circle and its antislavery literature, which the author contends embodies the reformist bourgeoisie's critique of the relationship between slavery and colonialism. In sum, a valuable contribution to the field of Latin American and Caribbean studies. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --Yvette Fuentes, Nova Southeastern University