Biography

Born in Havana in 1853, Martí was too young to have played a large role in the Ten Years War, but was exiled to Spain at the age of 17 for his opposition to colonial rule.He eventually settled in New York, where he lived from 1881 to 1895. Essayist, poet, political thinker, organizer-a true cosmopolitan-Martí moved in a wide variety of social circles, alternately organizing support for independence causes and pursuing his art. His writings-both creative and nonfiction-played a fundamental role in creating a broader consciousness on and off the island for the cause of Cuban independence and the humanistic values that guided the struggle.

America

In addition to passionately supporting Cuban independence, Martí was also wary of U.S. designs annexationist or otherwise. “I know the monster, because I have lived in its lair,” he wrote, “and my weapon is only the slingshot of David.” In legendary writings like the 1892 essay “Our America,” Martí helped establish the David versus U.S.Goliath mentality that has remained central to Cuba’s nationalist ethos ever since. A vocal critic of U.S. imperialism and expansionism, Martí stressed that the Americas should seek to be more unified and that Cuba could and should play a leading role in this effort. Among his greatest concerns were unequal power relations between races and classes, and the dearth of citizenship rights across the region. He argued for education as the basic motor for development throughout Latin America-a concept that would be a foundation of the Cuban Revolution’s social policies under Fidel Castro. At the same time, Martí held in high esteem such liberal values as freedom of the press and freedom of speech that were denied him and others in Cuba under Spanish rule. Artistically, Martíis credited as a key founder of Latin American modernism.