Autobiografía de un esclavo (IA-Historia)

by Juan Francisco Manzano, José Luciano Franco (Editor)

La Autobiografía de un esclavo es un elocuente relato de la esclavismo en las colonias españolas del Nuevo Mundo. Es, además, el primer testimonio en lengua española de un esclavo; un documento de un inmenso valor histórico y humano. Su autor, Juan Francisco Manzano inició su redacción en 1835, alentado por Domingo del Monte, escritor empeñado en abolir la esclavitud en Cuba, quien un año más tarde organizaría una colecta para comprar la libertad de Manzano. La Autobiografía de un esclavo quedó inacabada y solo se publicaría por primera vez en español en Cuba más de cien años después, en 1937. Sin embargo, una edición inglesa apareció, en 1840 traducida por Richard Robert Madden a partir de una copia corregida por Anselmo Suárez y Romero. Manzano, nacido esclavo en la provincia cubana de Matanzas, relata los avatares de su existencia antes de conseguir la libertad, primero en casa de la propietaria de sus padres. La señora Beatriz de Jústiz de Santa Ana, era una escritora y poeta relativamente tolerante para la época. Le permitió a Manzano leer poemas, breves obras de teatro y fragmentos operísticos. Incluso le dejaba usar el papel de carta para garabatear, lo cual le sirvió a Manzano para aprender a escribir por su cuenta. Luego el autor pasó a ser propiedad de una señora bastante más despótica, la marquesa del Prado Ameno, de cuya casa terminaría escapando. Cabe añadir que existió una segunda parte de la Autobiografía de un esclavo de Manzano, hoy perdida. La presente edición es la de José Luciano Franco, en ella se respetan la ortografía y la puntuación del autor. Es la siempre leímos en Linkgua, preferimos que los lectores lean el texto tal como fue escrito.

Genres: History, Memoir, Nonfiction, Spanish Literature, School, Biography, Classics

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[juliazlr · Rating 5 out of 5]

As not much written testimonies of the perspective of slave exist, this is a historical piece and worth a read. The is a prime example of how the subaltern cannot speak. Just with buying himself out of slavery, he was granted a voice and could deliver this autobiography.

Very heartbreaking at times, it describes the perspective of a latin-american slave, working as a page on a farm of white masters. It also shows the focus that Manzono had of these experiences; of course the cruelty playing a big role in his life but also the resistance and the strong family bond.

“But when I heard the first crack of the whip I became a lion, a tiger, the fiercest beast, and I was about to lose my life at the hands of the aforementioned Silvestre. But let us pass over the rest of this painful scene in silence…”

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the text while researching the history of slavery in Latin America. It's a moving story, but more importantly, a piece of history. I think it's key to understanding the effect that slavery actually had on slaves. This book alone, this testimony, told me more about my history, about Latin-American history, about slavery, than any text book ever could. This is the "Diary of Anne Frank" for slavery in the Caribbean. Except it was written before that, by a slave, so stupid white girls on goodreads get to act like it's meaningless.

[ana laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que livro impressionante. Digo livro porque, além da significância incalculável da narrativa do Manzano, o projeto editorial e tradutório todo publicado aqui é imenso. Esse é o tipo de livro que, pra quem estuda tradução numa perspectiva decolonial ou contracolonial, é um divisor de águas. O trabalho do Alex Castro é absurdo, acima de tudo, pra mim, por fornecer as duas possibilidades de leitura: a mais normativa e mais legível, principalmente pro uso em escolas e pra fins de entendimento geral da narrativa, e a carregada das marcas ortográficas e sintáticas que resultaram da subversão do Manzano em aprender uma escrita que não lhe era permitida. Ler o texto com os "erros" tão acertados de grafia desse escritor adiciona tantas camadas indispensáveis de sentido à leitura, assim como as notas impecáveis de tradução. A sensibilidade dele pros silêncios, contradições e estratégias textuais do Manzano foi central pra orientar minha leitura, e sem elas eu não teria chegado nem perto da experiência leitora que tive. É um texto difícil, estarrecedor; mas se tornou muito mais que isso -- pude lê-lo além do testimonio, como uma autobiografia de pleno direito -- porque eu tive a companhia desse tradutor.

[Zane · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked this book pretty well! maybe one of my favorites so far of this class. of the 19th century writing, the tone wasnt too bad and i liked reading this along parallel with the Frederick Douglass autobiography. definitely graphic violence, and he was so matter of fact about it. He talked about the importance of literature and community as abolition.

[alessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

read for spanish latinamerican literature class. feels wrong to give this less than five stars. while I wish that it wasn't edited format/grammar-wise from manzano's original words (feels a bit like devaluation and catering to us as white, modern readers), the message was important and still enlightening in this day and age.

[leah]

this book made me feel like the least bilingual girl on earth. wdym cuban slave 18th century spanish😭😭😭 but also such an important novel historically

[hannah]

for spanish 293; i had such a hard time understanding this but i definitely learned lots of new words

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short (50 pages?), very simple. It's only Part 1 which I didn't realize. How can you not give it 5 stars though, when it's a true, personal account of slavery? It left me a little confused at times when certain lines of thought didn't match up because I am not understanding the cultural context. But I found it for free, read it in a day, and learned a little more history.

[Adelaide Mcginnity · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand why people might defend this book, on the grounds that its scattershot, disjointed narrative structure and granular-level idiosyncrasies represent "realism" or "voice" or "autenticity" or even another commentary on the evils of slavery. Personally, I found this book borderline unreadable. Even if you choose to consider Autobiography of a Slave a literary work rather than a historical memoir, the lack of structure is difficult to overcome, as it robs many of the scenes of their potential pathos and poignance.

In short, this works only real value is as a rare primary source depicting slavery in Cuba from the slave's perspective, and outside of historical research projects (or history class), I do not really recommend reading it.

[Makayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an impactful read. I'll likely end up writing my research paper on Manzano's writing and trauma theory. He truly depicts the horrors that he lived through. A lot of neoclassical critics focus on Manzano's intentionality in this text, how its distortion of time could mean this or that. But this completely disregards the affect of his trauma on his writing experience, ignoring how reluctant he is to even record this in the first place, and only does so at the insistence of his patron. It results in a sort of abject narrative that really invites the reader to experience the confusion and horror of the trauma Manzano experienced in an intimate way.

[Fabiola V · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright. He clearly doesn't have the storytelling gift of Frederick Douglass but learning about another slave story and seeing different points of view is always good.
I was surprised by how "joyful" his youth was and how he was able to meet and see his mom and family once in a while when most slaves didn't have that opportunity.

The translation to English did help to clear some stuff that was ambiguous in Spanish!
Wish I had more about his escape and what happened after in this book...

[alegría · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me destruye tener que leer la violencia que vivían mis antepasados; pero es necesario tener un testimonio tan inaudito de un esclavizado y de lo que experenciaba. Manzano tiene una forma tan sutil y casual de contar su vida como si no fuera horrible que se vuelve una lectura ligera, mas no quita los horrores que sufrió y sabe cómo y cuando describirlos por lo que fueron. Excelente.

[Kirby McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very important historically -- it is the only writing by any enslaved person in Cuba from this time period. Unfortunately a little bit hard to follow due to the non-chronological order in which in he tells his life story.

[Tomás · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incrível poder ler isso e dessa maneira. A autobiografia de Manzano, com seus silêncios e estratégias, traduzida por Alex Castro na norma culta e fora dela, inúmeras notas valiosas para ver com calma, indo e voltando da segunda versão do texto. Recomendo qualquer pedaço dele que se decida ler.

[Ona Stocovaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the kind of book I usually read, thats the only reason it's not getting four starts honestly. It is fascinating in all aspects: narrative wise and simply as a novel. The story is super important and looking at the societal impacts of slavery through Marzano's eyes is a wonderful opportunity.

[Yesenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmm... Está interesante, claro. Pero hay muchas lagunas en la narración y no hay una edición que las subsane para el lector...

[annie]

read this for my cuban lit class!

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars—

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking tale. A must read book.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

El único testimonio escrito por un esclavo cubano en su época, La autobiografía de un esclavo cuenta la dificultad, dolor y complejidad emocional de la vida en esclavitud en los 1800. La primera parte de la autobiografía fue publicada en Europa en 1840, pero no fue publicada por entero en Cuba hasta 1937, después de la muerte de Manzano. La segunda parte del manuscrito se perdió antes de ser publicada. Manzano escribió poesía y otros textos mientras era esclavo, mayormente a escondidas de sus amos. Su vida terminó después de un rato sin escribir más, probablemente debido a su depresión y la vida dura que no pudo escapar después de ganar su libertad.
Históricamente, Autobiografía es un pedazo substancial de la vista del periodo. En términos de cultura, Manzano da explicaciones de la vida cotidiana de la clase alta cubana y sus costumbres, tales como su vestimento, hábitos religiosos y cortejo. Manzano es un buen ejemplo de la desigualdad entre los esclavos, siendo parte de la clase “privilegiada” al principio de su vida, pero después sufre castigos injustos y brutales por periodos largos. Hijo de una esclava criolla “de distinción,” el joven Juan Francisco disfrute de una niñez en la casa de sus amos, muchas veces al lado de ellos y de sus hijos. Explica en detalle la simpatía de su primera ama, la Señora doña Beatriz de Justiz. Su relación íntima con su ama desde un bebé resulta en la separación de su familia, “dicen que más estaba yo en sus brazos que en los de mi madre” (46). Las explicaciones permiten al lector entender un poco los efectos sicológicos tan complejos en la relación esclavo-amo y la idea de familia, lealtad e identidad personal. El lector ve la confusión mental del niño, creciendo como esclavo, pero a veces viéndose como una persona valorada por los españoles.
Aún después de la muerte de su primera ama querida, y después de sufrir bastante a las manos de sus otros amos, Manzano experimenta “cierto orgullito en saber cumplir con mis obligaciones” (110), y le agrada servir a sus amos. Su habilidad de recitar décimas, poemas y sermones desde una edad joven es una fuente de entretenimiento de algunos de sus amos, y beneficie de los estudios de sus amos para seguir aprendiendo durante sus años de servicio. Este sentimiento de orgullo por sus habilidades añade a la esperanza de Manzano, porque empieza a ver el valor de tener habilidades variadas para cuando esté libre. Manzano aprende a leer y a escribir mientras sirve al señor don Francisco Cárdenas y Manzano. Desvelando de manera frecuente para practicar, esta herramienta le permite empezar a expresarse y a compartir sus versos, y eventualmente, a escribir su autobiografía.
La narración no va siempre en orden cronológico, y hay lapsos de años que Manzano no relata, sino que los sobrepasa diciendo, “…pasando este tiempo con otra multitud de sufrimientos semejantes…” (72). Parece que el autor no quiere compartir, o tal vez no recuerda, todo el maltratamiento que sufrió a las manos de sus amos. A veces Manzano padece de depresión incapacitante, debido al tratamiento brutal y violento, la separación de su familia, y por su esperanza de tener la vida libre que merece. Por fin, las amenazas y la usurpación de su herencia por su ama causan que Manzano decida arriesgarse la vida y escaparse para ganar su libertad.

[Dusty · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the United States we are fortunate to have several slave narratives recorded for posterity. These do not compensate for the many more voices silenced by slavery and its afterlife, of course, but they do reveal our wealth relative to Cuba -- where there is, as far as we know, only Juan Francisco Manzano's Autobiografía. While the narrative is, as another reviewer mentions, somewhat truncated, it is nonetheless a gripping account of one man's lived pleasures and horrors, and it's also an eye-opening reminder of the complicated family relationships that remain slavery's legacy in the Americas. Ivan Schulman, who introduces the text, writes that there is some debate over the conditions that led Manzano to record his narrative. Whether or not he was coerced by his literary benefactor, Domingo Delmonte, there are undeniable parallels between Manzano's witness account of slavery and the various fictional accounts that were authored around the same time by Félix Tanco Bosmeniel and Anselmo Suárez y Romero. However you approach the debate, Manzano's narrative is a Cuban essential classic.

[Arielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

2016 Reading Challenge - A book at least 100 years older than you

This book offers a first hand experience of an enslaved man in Cuba's 17th Century. His story is heartfelt and a testament to humanities depravities and indifference to the human experiences of those deemed substandard. The second part of his story that is alluded to in the text has been lost to history and this is a great loss. I recommend this book.

[ػᶈᶏϾӗ]

If you ever want to learn what it means for a book to be "symptomatic" of its time, place, and economic conditions, just check out this little slave narrative and its thorough introduction. The way this book was written, the life its author lived, and the way the book was produced and transported tells you that the circumgulf world of the 19th century was a very different world than the one we usually think of. In some ways, this book is better than its aesthetics.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to read this book for my History of the Caribbean class. It was ok except for the fact that Manzano, the author, keeps jumping back and forth in time, so things start to get a little confusing. Other than that, it was easy to read and really short. I finished it in a few days. It isn't incredibly boring either, but I wouldn't have picked it out myself.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is our only remaining account of a slave's life in Cuba. Ergo it has big-time historical significance. However, it's not exactly a riveting read.

[Valentina Prada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Siento que no tendría sentido darle menos estrellas, lo que cuenta no solo es valioso sino también desgarrador incluso cuando a veces omite partes que considera demasiado explícitas.

[Lr · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was ok, but really hard to read it because of the spanish of that time...