The Poet Slave of Cuba--Reading Journal

The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Fransisco Manzano

by Margarita Engle

I loved the multi-voice format that Margarita Engle chose to write her poetic novel. It does so much to draw the reader into the setting and the minds of the characters involved; it adds dimension as well as perspective that we (the reader) could not enjoy with a single, first-person narrator or with a third-person omniscient narrator. Engle also keeps the novel moving forward in time in a creative way—she references the skills and knowledge that Juan is constantly building; she chronicles the death of Toribio and Maria del Pilar (Juan’s father and mother); and she refers to Juan (in the words of La Marquesa) as “the poet-boy, poet-man, almost grown,” depicting the maturation of Juan.

Even with the conciseness that poetry demands, Margarita Engle captures the individual personalities of the various characters of this story. She illuminates Juan’s passion for knowledge, his quiet patience, as well as his ferocious tenacity. I cringed at the icy, cruel selfishness of La Marquesa De Prado Ameno who lashes out at Juan from a need to exhibit power and control in a world where women (even aristocratic women) lived under the domination of men. Juan suffers under her insane, oppressive hand because she obviously envies his sharp, creative mind and skilled fingers and his verses bring her to the edge of sadness (or guilt). Maria del Pilar’s steadfast compassion spills out of the voice Engle pens for her. Even the Overseer’s internal torment over being the instrument of torture for La Marquesa seeps through his limited lines.

I found myself wincing and wanting to hurry through Juan’s description of his cruel punishment; however, I do not think it is too graphic for middle school children and up. In fact, Engle’s book contains very little blood, gore, or overly-explicit material. It is the brutality, mercilessness, and inhumanity of the slaves’ punishments that disturb the readers’ unaccustomed minds. I read an interview with Margarita Engle in which she expresses the opinion that children “deserve the truth,” even if that truth depicts violence. She also notes that though her story does not gloss over the inhumane treatment of Cuban slaves in the 19th century, Juan’s story is one of hope and transcending harsh realities.