Nicolás Guillén

Cuban national poet who created Afro-Cuban literary movement blending African rhythms with Spanish verse

Known as the 'Poet of the Son', Nicolás Guillén (1902-1989) revolutionized Latin American literature through his poetic fusion of African drumbeats and Spanish décima. His 1930 collection Motivos de Son introduced negrista poetry to mainstream audiences.

As a mixed-race Cuban, Guillén gave voice to marginalized communities through works like Sóngoro Cosongo (1931), using creolized Spanish to protest racial inequality. He later became Communist Party president in Cuba, blending art with revolutionary politics.

His innovative poemúsica style inspired musical adaptations by Pablo Milanés and Silvio Rodríguez. UNESCO declared 2002 (his birth centenary) as the Year of Guillén, recognizing his impact on post-colonial literature.