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Collection Overview

Creator:
Benítez Rojo, Antonio, 1931-2005
Title:
Antonio Benítez Rojo Papers
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/2z10wq22f
Dates:
1980-2005 (mostly 1980-1993)
Size:
4 boxes and 1.6 linear feet
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1-4
Language:
Spanish; Castilian English

Abstract

This collection consists of correspondence of Antonio Benítez Rojo, a Cuban writer and professor of Spanish at Amherst College from 1983 to 2005.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

This collection consists mostly of correspondence between Antonio Benítez Rojo and his colleagues at Amherst and other institutions, fellow writers, editors and publishers, and friends. Also included are ephemera, such as pamphlets and agendas from conferences, clippings, and publishing contracts.

Collection Creator Biography:

Benítez Rojo, Antonio, 1931-2005

Antonio Benítez Rojo was born in Havana, Cuba, on March 14, 1931. He earned degrees in accounting, finance, and economics at the Universidad de la Habana and American University in 1958, and subsequently worked for Cuba's Ministry of Labor. In 1965, he went to work at the Ministry of Culture and won the Casa de las Américas award in 1967 for his short story collection Tute de reyes. Two years later followed the literary prize of the Unión de Escritores y Artistas Cubanos for El escudo de hojas secas. In 1975, Benítez Rojo became the director of the publishing department of Casa de las Américas. His last book published in Cuba was El mar de las lentejas.

In 1980, Benítez Rojo was given permission to attend a conference at the Sorbonne in Paris. While there, he defected, eventually traveling to the United States. He lectured and taught at a number of institutions before settling at Amherst College in 1983, where he became the Thomas B. Walton Memorial Professor of Romance Languages. His major works published in the United States include The Repeating Island: The Caribbean and the Postmodern Perspective (1996), A View From the Mangrove (1998), and Mujer en traje de batalla (2001). Benítez Rojo died on January 9, 2005.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Gift of Hilda Otaño Benítez in 2006 .

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Danielle Ford in January 2007. Finding aid written by Danielle Ford on February 1, 2007.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Antonio Benítez Rojo Papers; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/2z10wq22f
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1-4

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Bibliography

The following work was consulted during preparation of the biographical note: Figueredo, D. H., ed. Encyclopedia of Caribbean Literature. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2006.

Subject Terms:
Authors, Cuban -- 20th century -- Correspondence.
Genre Terms:
Correspondence
Names:
Amherst college
Benítez Rojo, Antonio, 1931-2005