Miguel Barnet

Miguel Ángel Barnet Lanza (born 28 January 1940 in Havana ) is a Cuban writer, anthropologist and chairman of the Writers' Association UNEAC.

Miguel Barnet studied social sciences at the University of Havana. He took classes in anthropology and folklore and taught himself folk art and cultural moderators. Barnet research at the Institute of Ethnology of the Cuban Academy of Sciences ( Academia de Ciencias de Cuba ) and was a student of Fernando Ortíz Fernández, the great teacher of Cuban anthropology.

Became world-famous Miguel Barnet by the publication of the book " The Cimarron " ( Biografía de un cimarrón ) 1966. Cimarron is in Cuba a name for runaway negro slaves. While working on an ethno - historical project Barnet in 1963 pushed through a newspaper article on a 104- year-old black man who was during the Spanish colonial period in Cuba slave, then fled and was hiding in the forests of Cuba for a long time. Esteban Montejo, the name of the former slaves, had an amazing vitality and power of memory and had fought in the independence movement against Spain as Mambí. Barnet is to compress the extensive tape recordings to an impressive image of man, in which the interviewer remains in the background and the interviewee captures with his thinking, feeling and acting the reader succeeded.

Although Esteban Montejo certainly does not remember exactly all the historical data, yet the essence is clear: the wisdom of a life through life " educated ". In addition, the life history Montejos is an unusual source for historians who are interested in the story "the people without history ": the fact that runaway negro slaves had to avoid all contact with other people, meant that she always remained a kind of legend. They knew they were there, but not who they were and how they lived. So the Cimarron Esteban Montejo remains the only witness for the truth of a myth.

Based on this book, created Hans Magnus Enzensberger ( libretto ) and Hans Werner Henze ( music) the recital El Cimarron ( for baritone and three instrumentalists ).

Barnet has repeatedly interviews used as a means to make historical processes in the dialectic between reality and reflection significantly. In the "Song of Rachel " about the 20s Cuba to life based on the memories of an old singer and prostitutes. In the novel " Gallego " the reader will find the history of the Galicians who emigrated in large numbers to Cuba and with their rural characteristics (not least their eating habits ) have left traces in the tradition of Cuba.

In April 2003, Barnet was one of a group of prominent Cuban cultural workers who signed one in the newspaper of the Cuban Communist Party, Granma published open letter, which was sent to friends of Cuba in the world and international criticism of the human rights policy of the Cuban government as " anti-Cuban smear campaign " rejected: in the weeks before President Fidel Castro had in a as" 75 critical journalists and civil rights activists condemn become known black spring " crackdown in summary proceedings to long prison terms and three young black Cubans have also executed after the bloodless failed attempt of a ship hijacking after summary trials.

Miguel Barnet is one of only two Cubans, which was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit. This award received Barnet in 2004 for his long -standing commitment to a German - Cuban cultural exchanges.

Works (selection)

  • Afro-Cuban cults. The Regla de Ocha and the Regla de Palo Monte ( " Cultos afrocubanos "). Suhrkamp, Frankfurt / M. 2000, ISBN 3-518-12143- X.
  • All dreamed of Cuba. The Life Story of a Galician emigrant; Roman ( " Gallego "). Suhrkamp, Frankfurt / M. 1988, ISBN 3-518-38077- X.
  • The Cimarrón.Die life story of a runaway negro slaves from Cuba ( " Biografia de un cimarrón "). Suhrkamp, Frankfurt / M. 1999, ISBN 3-518-39540-8.
  • The craft of the angel ( " Oficio de ángel "). Amman -Verlag, Zurich 1993, ISBN 3-250-10201-6.
  • A Cuban in New York. Roman ( " La vida real "). Suhrkamp, Frankfurt / M. 1990, ISBN 3-518-40229-3.
  • Song of Rachel ( " La canción de Rachel "). Suhrkamp, Frankfurt / M. 1983, ISBN 3-518-37466-4.
  • The dumb dogs. Fables ( " Akeké y la Jutía "). Diá Edition, Wuppertal, 1986, ISBN 3-905482-09-6.
History of Cuba Slavery Communist Party of Cuba Granma (newspaper) Ibero-American Institute Integrated Authority File
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