Autobiography of a slave manzano pdf Continue Juan Francisco Manzano (1797-1854), an urban slave who learned to read and write, and who eventually gained fame as a poet in Cuba's colonial slave society, wrote the only known autobiographical account of Latin American slavery. His two-part narrative is a heartbreaking story of systematic, relentless destruction of human dignity and individual will. He bears the traces of slavery not only because of the countless repressive autobiographical events and cruel punishments that are narrated, but also because of his unorthodox syntax and orthography in the original manuscript, and the destruction of the other half of Manzano's story, which disappeared mysteriously during his lifetime and has never surfaced since. In this first bilingual edition of the volume, Evelyn Picon Garfield provides a thorough translation of Manzano's bleak narrative. Ivan Shulman presents the text to place it in a historical and cultural context. Cuban writer and slave. Juan Francisco ManzanoBorn1797Matanzas, Cuba, SpainDied1854La Habana, Cuba, SpainOccupationWriter, poet, playwright, artisan, page Juan Francisco Manzano (1797-1854) was born slave house in the province of Matanzas of Cuba during the colonial period. Manzano's father died before the age of 15, and his only remaining family were his mother and two brothers. Manzano worked as a page throughout his life, which was a privileged job for a slave. He wrote two poems and his autobiography while still enslaved. The slave's autobiography is the only existing documentary about 19th-century Cuban slavery and the only existing tale of slavery in Spanish America. Irish abolitionist Richard Robert Madden published his slave poems on the island of Cuba in 1840. The second part of his autobiography was lost. He was released in 1837, and later wrote a book of poems and a play, Safira. In 1844, Manzano was falsely accused of involvement in the La Escaler conspiracy. After his release from prison in 1845, he was no longer published and died in 1854. The early life of Manzano was born in Sofia del Pilar Manzano and Toribio de Castro in 1836. His married fathers were millionaires of Signora Beatrice de Justiz de Santa Ana, his father was her main maid. In his youth, Manzana was not allowed to play with other black children from the plantations. He was treated like a cryol or a Spanish child and had a comfortable life compared to other slaves in an important sugar region. However, the life of a domestic slave isolates and left him ill-prepared for his next mistress. He was expected to always stand behind his mistress and satisfy her wishes. His next mistress, Maria de la Concepcion, Marquez del Prado Ameno, was cruel and abusive. In 1837, at the age of 40, Manzano and became a free man. Man. Despite being in the house, Manzano faced many forms of physical and mental torture. As a child, Manzano was forced not to sit until midnight, sitting on a chair. This was then followed with being forced up to keep the lamp well hanging on the back of the carriage. If the lamp is clear, the last or first will do the work on me, not as if I were a child. Another general punishment for Manzano was defeated in the men's infirmary. One day, an assistant warden entered the infirmary and ordered manzano to be associated with Jesus Christ during his crucifixion. He was then beaten to such an extent that he lost so much blood that he lost consciousness. Finally, Manzano was falsely convicted of stealing chicken and was beaten for nine days until he was found not guilty. During this time he still had to perform his usual task when he was not tormented. Learning to write Manzano was a domestic slave with little power over his life, but he was taught to write by his master. His first mistress subjected him to art, and under her tutelage he memorized short plays, short poems known as desima, bits of opera and other theatrical works. Subsequently, with the master, Manzano was not allowed to use the time that he could work to recite or write letters, but he practiced writing letters with discarded notes of his master, first copying the script and then writing himself. Until he learned to read or write, Manzano limited himself to remembering other verses. The letter allowed him to express his point of view. He became part of a group of Cuban reformists who, along with a publicist and a liberal writer named Domingo Del Monte, encouraged Manzano to write. The group took the collection to buy Manzano's freedom. Manzano's poetry was edited by publishers who sought to create a cleaner version of the text, but in the process the poems lost their authenticity. While still enslaved, he wrote Poesias liricas (1821) and Flores pasageras (1830). In 1835 he began to write his life story at the request of Domingo del Monte, who bought the freedom of Manzano in 1836. Del Monte wanted him to write a narrative about his life to promote abolitionism among the enlightened middle class. In correspondence between Manzano and Del Monte, Manzano was initially hesitant to reveal details that he had, though not well received by his benefactor. Over time, he gained great self-confidence and confidence in his autobiography. He kept some of the material he wanted to put in a later book that never appeared. Published work Autobiography His work seems to be the first slave narrative published in Spanish America. Manzano says in his account that his parent's mistress had power over life and death - and allowed him to be born. He writes: Remember when you read me that I am a slave and that a slave being in the eyes of his master, he had this master until he was 12 years old, and she died. He had little recollection of her death, except standing in line in the bed of his mistresses and crying afterwards. Manzano's biography mentions his body as a tool for the pleasure of his mistress. His second mistress, Marquez de Prado Ameno, exercised control by dressing him. When he was dressed in beautiful clothes, he was on the good side of his mistress. When she was dressed in rags, it symbolized her displeasure. His change of dress unveiled symbolically his personality in front of others. Manzano's dignity was removed due to his constant change of costume. He also claims that when he turned 14, his punishments got worse and worse. His mistress will cage him for 24 hours at a time without food or water. He will be punished several times a week: Este penitencia era tan frequente que no pasaba una semana en que no sufriese de este g'nero de castigo dos o tres veces. (This punishment was so common that it didn't take a week that I didn't suffer from beatings two or three times a week.) The Spanish edition of the Spanish colonial regime suppressed the history of marginalized social groups, such as Africans and Chinese, during the period of the autobiography written. At that time, the Cuban sugar economy depended on slave labor for its economy. Even after the end of Spanish rule in 1898, the book was unavailable for publication in Cuba or in the Spanish colonies. The autobiography was owned by Del Monte, passed on to Del Monte's heirs, and then transferred to the National Library in Havana, where it was published in 1937. English edition In the 19th century abolitionists published literary works of slaves. In The Case of Manzano, his autobiography was published with the help of Del Monte and Madden. Since the Spanish version could not be published for some time, the English version, translated by Richard Madden, was published in England. In North America, slave narratives have been translated and edited, partly for dramatic effect and sometimes omitted details. In the case of Manzano, names, places and dates, as well as cases of cruelty, were removed. Molloy notes that sometimes the narratives contain so many views of editors that there is little room for the fugitive's testimony. Manzano's play Safira was published in 1842. It was a metaphor for colonialism and slavery in Cuba. It takes place in 16th-century Mauritania in North Africa. The play follows zafira, an Arab princess who mourns the loss of her husband and fears a wedding to a Turkish pirate Barbarodje, who wants to rule the coast. Her son, Selim, returns in disguise to regain the throne. He allies himself with slave Noemi to challenge the reign of Barbaro. He refers to the Haitian Revolution of 1791 and there in 1804. The uprising forced wealthy landowners to flee to Cuba, bringing stories of rebellion. French slaves were not allowed to enter Cuba, fearing another uprising. There was a presence of Spanish soldiers to prevent another uprising. In the play, Selim has a mysterious letter. He presents a letter to Barbarodje, who responds with fear to the letter. This shows the fear of Spaniards and Cubans in the face of yet another uprising, such as the Haitian Revolution. The themes are tyranny, exile, enslavement, slavery and the 19th-century Havana uprising that indirectly challenged Spanish colonial rule. Manzano makes a subtle critique of personal and national sovereignty. His drama reflects the intellectual and political values of enlightenment, such as reason, order, justice and equality. Manzano may have found inspiration for zafira from an earlier Spanish version entitled Tragedia. The Spanish hero in the original version, was taken out in favor of the slave Noemi, who represents Afro-Cuban slaves.