Jorge Mañach y Robato (February 14, 1898,

Sagua La Grande Sagua la Grande (nicknamed ''La Villa del Undoso'', sometimes shortened in Sagua) is a municipality located on the north coast of the province of Villa Clara in central Cuba, on the Sagua la Grande River. The city is close to Mogotes de Juma ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

– June 25, 1961,

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

) was a

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

Education

His studies of José Martí, the 'Apostle of Cuban Independence', are estimated to be one of the best political and literal interpretations. Mañach was educated in Cuba,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. He graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1920, with a B.A. in

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

. From there he continued his higher education studies at the

Université du Droit et de la Santé de Lille The Lille 2 University of Health and Law (french: Université Lille 2 : Droit et Santé) was a French university for health, sports, management and law. It was located in Lille and was part of the Community of Universities and Institutions (COMUE ...

in Paris. And then at the

University of Havana The University of Havana or (UH, ''Universidad de La Habana'') is a university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of the Republic of Cuba. Founded on January 5, 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the first ...

in Cuba.

Career

Mañach was one of the founders of the

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

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

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

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

Foreign Minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

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 revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

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 Foreign ministers of Cuba 1898 births 1961 deaths People from Sagua la Grande Harvard University alumni Columbia University faculty Cuban emigrants to Puerto Rico Cuban male writers 1940s in Cuba 20th-century Cuban lawyers 20th-century Cuban politicians 20th-century Cuban writers 20th-century male writers 20th-century non-fiction writers Male non-fiction writers {{Cuba-writer-stub