José Julián Martí y Perez (January 28, 1853 - May 19, 1895) was a leader of the Cuban independence movement as well as an esteemed poet and writer. He is often considered Cuba's greatest hero.
Marti was born in Havana, Cuba, (then a colony of Spain) to Spaniard parents Mariano Marti and Leonor Perez Cabrera, and was the oldest brother to 7 sisters. When he was only 4 years old, his family moved from Cuba to Valencia, Spain, but 2 years later they returned to the island where they enrolled José at a local public school.
Aside from being a grand writer, poet, and journalist, José Marti was also a painter. In, 1867 he enrolled at "The Professional School for Painting and Sculpting of Havana" to take drawing classes.
In 1869, José had a good year in regards to his work. It was then when he published his first political writings in the only edition of newspaper "El Diablo Cojuelo." That same year he published "Abdala," a patriotic drama in verse form in the only volume of "La Patria Libre." His famous sonnet "10 de octubre" was also written during that year, which turned out to be published later on in his school newspaper.
Despite this success, in March of that year, colonial authorities shut down the school, interrupting José's studies. He came to dislike Spanish rule of his homeland at a young age, as well as developing a hatred of slavery, which was still practiced in Cuba.
In October of 1869, he was arrested and incarcerated into the national jail following an accusation of treason from the Spaniard government. More than 4 months later, José assumed responsibility to the charges and was condemned to 6 years in prison. His mother tried arduously to write letters to the government to free her son (who was still a minor at the time at 16 yrs. old), and his father went to a lawyer friend for legal support, but all efforts were useless. Eventually José became ill; his legs were severely lacerated due to the chains attached to him. Therefore, he was transferred by the General to another part of Cuba known as "Isla de Pinos" instead of further imprisonment, but following that, they decided to repatriate him to Spain. In Spain, he studied law and wrote articles on the wrongs of Spanish rule in Cuba.
After spending some time in Spain, Marti finalized his studies, graduated with a bachelor in the arts, and obtained his license in civil rights. He then traveled to France, where he spent some time and this aided him to secretly return to Cuba under an assumed name in 1877. His time there was not very successful because he could not obtain any employment. He was then offered a job as a professor of history and literature in Guatemala City.
In 1880, Marti moved to New York City serving as a joint council there for Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina. He mobilized the Cuban exile community, especially in Tampa and Key West, Florida to revolution and independence from Spain, while lobbying to oppose U.S. annexation of Cuba, which some American politicians desired.
In 1894, he left with plans to land in Cuba to fight for revolution, but was intercepted in Florida. On March 25, 1895, José Marti published the Manifesto of Montecristi, proclaiming Cuban independence, an end to all legal distinctions between the races, friendship with Spaniards who did not oppose the independence, and war with all who stood in the way of independence.
On April 11, 1895, Marti landed in Cuba with a force of rebel exiles, who joined the rebel General Maximo Gomez y Baez. José Marti was killed in battle with Spanish troops at Dos Rios, Cuba on May 19th, 1895. He is buried in Cementerio Santa Efigenia in Santiago de Cuba.
José Marti was strongly against U.S. involvement in the Cuban War for Independence. The Spanish-American War began years after his death. His best and most revered works were his books for children, La Edad de Oro (The Golden Age) his most widely read. One of the poems from his collection Versos Sencillos was later put into music as "Guantanamera," which has become Cuba’s most famous patriotic song. Jose Marti International Airport in Havana is named after this leader of Cuban independence.
Don José Julian Marti is one of the five pillars of ΦΙΑ
See Also
Further reading
No author. Jose Marti Obra y Vida. Madrid: Ediciones Siruela,1995.
