Jorge Reyes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jorge Reyes | |
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 Jorge Reyes 2007 |
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| Born | 1971 Cuba |
Jorge (Ivan) Reyes (b. 1971) is a Cuban-born, American author known for authoring books in several genres. He is an honor graduate (1993) of Barry University, from which he received a B.A. in history, a B.S in political science, and a minor in literature.
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[edit] Early life
Born in Santiago de Cuba, Reyes left Cuba with his parents via Costa Rica, before settling permanently in Miami in 1982.
[edit] Part I: Writing
Reyes has written books in several genres of literature: biography, fiction, non-fiction, children's books and poetry.
Most of what is known about Reyes's childhood was penned down by Reyes himself in his book, Rediscovering Cuba: A Personal Memoir, published in 2001.
In it, he talks about his childhood days in a small town called Boniato on the outskirts of Santiago de Cuba. The book itself, based on a family emergency, became also an analysis of Cuba's present condition as viewed by Reyes himself. Reyes's method of choosing to write his Cuban memoirs displayed some writing skills for which he has been noted, mainly:
1) The ability to utilize a wide array of genres in unexpected but highly effective visual ways; 2) The ability to write biographical themes, such as his Cuban memoirs, which many writers reserve for fictional accounts, such as: stream of consciousness, poetry, and even short-stories in order to explain non-fictional accounts of events.
In 2002, Reyes addressed the 2002 Miami International Book Fair giving a lecture on Cuban literature along with Lee Williams, author of "Author of Destiny".
In 2003, Reyes surprised his readership by publishing, among other things, a book of poems titled, My Words Mean Something, which didn't seem to please his fans, nor Reyes himself, but it was a genre which he would return to with, "Day's Night," to be published in 2007, five years after finishing it.
The next few years Reyes slowed down a seemingly prolific writing career, shelving most of the books slated for publication after 2003 and which included both "Caramelo's Dream" and "Day's Night."
No explanation has been given to publicly account for Reyes's sudden halt in his writings, though it was rumored that he was simply maturing into his craft by seeking other literary interests, concentrating mostly on the essay format, to expound on a variety of subject-matters of particular interests to him, mainly on art and politics. Again, always demonstrating Reyes's penchant for diversity in his writings, these essays are known as much for their refreshing approach to their topic matter as much as for their eclectically-drawn conclusions, if not often confrontational style.
Finally, in 2006, the long-promised book of poems Day's Night was announced to be published sometimes in September, 2008. No publication date has been given for "Caramelo's Dream."
Day's Night is a collection of poems about "a self-examined look at a love affair gone sour," with illustrations by the reclusive artist Neith Nevelson. The Reyes/Nevelson duo, described as one of the strangest cooperations in literary history, is one which, nonetheless, seems to have pleased some critics if pre-publication reviews are any indication of a book's worth. Aside from Reyes's terse comments about the book's topic, theme and origins, Reyes has refused to discuss much about the personal affair that prompted him to write about the book. For someone who has always been extremely guarded about his private matters, the choice to write a book while refusing to discuss much of its personal origins seems to be what attracts many to Reyes's readership.
[edit] Part II: Other Interests
Though born into a Catholic family, Reyes has written strongly against religion, while at the same time he's professed feeling torn between "the agnostic's way", or as he calls it, the simultaneous guilt between theism and atheism. Early in his college days, Jorge Reyes was remotely associated with the American Atheists Organization, founded by the famed atheist activist, Madalyn Murray O'Hair (b.1911-1995?). After O'Hair's sudden abduction and murder in 1995, Reyes dissociated himself with American Atheists, Inc., ending three book translation projects he was working for with the Murray-O'Hair family.
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Reyes lives in South Florida, often spending part of the year in his native land of Cuba.
[edit] Bibliography
- Guia Para Descubrir Tu Cuerpo (Your Body) (2000) ISBN 0-939193-55-8
- Rediscovering Cuba: A Personal Memoir (2001) ISBN 0-595-19457-5
- My Words Mean Something (2003) ISBN 0-595-22311-7
[edit] Forthcoming Books
- Day's Night, with Neith Nevelson (Illustrator) (2006)
- City Hall is Murder (2007/8)
- Caramelo's Dream (2007) ISBN 0-595-26859-5
- Rape: simply a story (2007)
[edit] External links
- A website which includes a biography for Jorge Reyes.
- The Official Web for Jorge Reyes.
- [1] Latin Biz Magazine, featuring an article on Reyes.
- On Author Jorge Reyes from a local community newspaper in South Florida.
- Weblink to the 2002 Miami International Book Fair.
[edit] See also
- List of Cuban American writers
- List of Famous Cuban-Americans
- Let Cuba be rediscovered by this generation.
