A panel discussion on Martí in the wake of his birthday, led by the distinguished Martí scholar Esther Allen, focusing on the recent publication of Syncing the Americas: José Martí and the Shaping of National Identity. Edited by Ryan Anthony Spangler and Georg Michael Schwarzmann, the collection of essays reflects two of Martí’s key observations during his time in the United States: first, how did he, an exile living in New York, view and read his North American neighbors from a sociocultural, political and literary perspective? Second, how did his perception of the modern nation impact his own concepts of race, capital punishment, poetics, and nation building for Cuba?
The volume, combining many of the most relevant experts in the field of Martí studies, is a praiseworthy effort to broaden the understanding and extend the influence of one of the most prolific and important writers of the Americas, particularly within the very nation where his chronicles, poetry, and journalism were written.
Sponsored by our Martí Studies Program, this presentation attempts to highlight the relevance of Martí within a U.S. historical context and the need to instill interest in his work. Most importantly, it offers the non-Spanish reader a window into his thought, writings, and overarching legacy.
There will be a Zoom Q&A session with the audience following the presentation.
This event is part of our CreateNYC Language Access Series on Cuban History, Art, and Literature.
DUE TO THE COVID PANDEMIC, THIS EVENT WILL BE STREAMED THROUGH OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
Please click on this link on the scheduled date and time:
General Admission: FREE
Esther Allen is a writer and translator. Professor in the Ph.D. Programs in French and in Latin American, Iberian and Latino Cultures at City University of New York Graduate Center and at Baruch College (CUNY), she is a two-time recipient of National Endowment for the Arts Translation fellowships. She was a Cullman Center Fellow in 2009-2010. A 2018 Guggenheim Fellow and co-founder of the PEN World Voices Festival, she was named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Art et des Lettres by the French government in 2006. She is the author of José Martí: Selected Writings (Penguin Classics, 2002), considered one of the best Martí anthologies in translation. She is currently working on a biography of José Martí.
This event is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council
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