CUBARICAN is a bilingual sequence of vignettes and poems based on the author's experiences growing up in Puerto Rico as a Cuban exile. Evoking childhood memories, the author explores the feelings of a boy developing an identity in a place that seems both familiar and alien. Throughout this loose chronology, parents, siblings, and childhood friends serve as symbols for the increasing sense of conflict the boy grapples with and struggles to identify. Describing both the Puerto Rican countryside and its urban grit, the maturing narrator eventually comes to grips with both sides of his Caribbean self.
"Written with poise and precision, CUBARICAN is an affecting memoir of coming of age on the borderlines of countries and cultures. In lyrical prose and colloquial verse, del Río takes us on a bilingual journey that starts in Cuba, stops in Spain, and finally ends (but also begins) in Puerto Rico. A strong, distinctive performance by a gifted writer."--Gustavo Pérez Firmat, Saber de ausencia: Lecturas de poetas cubanos (y algo más)
"CUBARICAN is a rich and illuminating mosaic of language and image, following the tradition of Judith Ortiz Cofer's and Sandra Cisneros's vignette-driven, poetry-prose narratives. This is a much-welcomed story to the canon of immigrant narratives. The translations, done by the author himself, are exquisite, staying faithful to the Cuban/Puertorican vernacular. This story soars and takes the reader on an exciting and memorable journey."--Virgil Suárez, The Painted Bunting's Last Molt: Poems
"Eduardo R. del Río has compiled a delightful selection of sketches that traces the story of exile and a boy coming of age in his new home. In a personal and authentic voice, the author gives witness to the experiences of this boy grappling with identity, belonging, and maturity. Through both prose and poetry, del Río offers engaging glimpses of growing up Cuban in Puerto Rico. One poem, 'Doble Treinta, ' reminds us that these 'were running kids ... not afraid of the dark ... long forgotten footsteps ... [or] wars.' This book affirms young life full of optimism, despite adversity."--Carolina Hospital, Key West Nights and Other Aftershocks
Poetry. Latinx Studies.
