Jorge Mañach y Robato (February 14, 1898, Sagua La Grande, Cuba – June 25, 1961,

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

) was a

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

n writer and attorney, considered among the most distinguished of his time.

Education

His studies of

José Martí José Julián Martí Pérez (; 28 January 1853 – 19 May 1895) was a Cuban nationalism, nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher, who is considered a Cuban national hero because of his role in ...

, the 'Apostle of Cuban Independence', are estimated to be among the best political and literary interpretations. Mañach was educated in Cuba, Spain, the United States, and France. He graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1920, with a B.A. in

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

. From there he continued his higher education studies at the Université du Droit et de la Santé de Lille in Paris, and then at the

University of Havana The University of Havana (UH; ) is a public university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of Cuba. Founded on 5 January 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the first to be founded in the Americas. Originall ...

in Cuba.

Career

Mañach was one of the founders of the

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

magazine '' Revista de Avance'' which was launched in Havana in 1927. In the 1930s, he taught at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in New York City. He was a participant of the revolution of 1933, and of the fights against Cuban Dictator

Fulgencio Batista Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (born Rubén Zaldívar; January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer and politician who played a dominant role in Cuban politics from his initial rise to power as part of the 1933 Revolt of t ...

. He briefly was

Foreign Minister In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

of Cuba in 1944.

Personal life

Because of his criticism of the

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...

government he was forced to go into exile in 1960. He died in Puerto Rico in 1961. He was married to Margot Baños and they had one son, Dr. Jorge Mañach-Baños. His first cousin, Edelmira Sampedro y Robato, married the heir to the Spanish throne.

Primary works

*''Belén el Aschanti'', 1924. *''La crisis de la alta cultura en Cuba'', 1925. *''Estampas de San Cristóbal'', 1926. *''Goya'', 1928. *''Indagación del choteo'', 1928. *''Tiempo muerto'', 1928. *''Martí, el apóstol'', 1933. *''Pasado vigente'', 1939. *''Historia y estilo'', 1944. *''Examen del quijotismo'', 1950. *''Para una filosofía de la vida y otros'', 1951. *''El sentido trágico de la Numancia'', 1959. *''Visitas españolas; lugares, personas'', 1959.

References

* (Spanish) * ''Anuario Social de la Habana 1939''; Luz-Hilo, S.A. * ''Directorio Social de la Habana 1948''; P. Fernandez y Cía, S. en C. * ''Libro de Oro de la Sociedad Habanera 1949''; Editorial Lex * ''Libro de Oro de la Sociedad Habanera 1950''; Editorial Lex * ''Registro Social de la Habana 1958''; Molina y Cía, S.A. Cuban non-fiction writers Ministers of foreign affairs of Cuba 1898 births 1961 deaths People from Sagua la Grande Harvard University alumni Columbia University faculty Cuban emigrants to Puerto Rico 1940s in Cuba 20th-century Cuban lawyers 20th-century Cuban politicians 20th-century Cuban writers 20th-century Cuban male writers 20th-century non-fiction writers Cuban male non-fiction writers {{Cuba-writer-stub