Contents and Arrangement Collection View
Scope and Contents

The collection contains letters written to and from Reinaldo Arenas, Aurelio Cortés, and Claude Durand. Also included are typewritten drafts of Arenas' short articles and essays some of which are dedicated to Cortés, a personal friend. Also present are a typewritten drafts of Cortés' own work that relates to his friendship with Reinaldo Arenas.

Arrangement

Organized in the following series: Series 1: Correspondence, and Series 2: Works By Aurelio Cortés and Reinaldo Arenas.

Collection Creator Biography:

Cortés, Aurelio

Aurelio Cortés (1909-2007) was a Cuban dentist and personal friend of Reinaldo Arenas. Cortés was born in Havana, Cuba in 1909. He studied oral medicine at the University of Havana and had a long career as a practicing dentist. He studied a number of languages including English, Italian, and French at "La Alianza Francesa." He worked as a translator for the Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos (ICAAP); and also translated the works of José Lezama Lima. For over forty years, Cortés volunteered at the José Martí National Library where he worked closely with Juan Pérez de la Riva. It is at the National Library where he met Reinaldo Arenas, whom Cortés supported in the early stages of his writing. Cortés also volunteered at the La Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC) later in life. He died at the age of 98 on March 13, 2007.

Acquisition:

Purchase, 2017 (AM 2017-127).

This collection was purchased (in part) with funds provided by the Program in Latin American Studies (PLAS).

Appraisal

Nothing was removed from the 2017 processing.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Elvia Arroyo-Ramirez in March 2017. Finding aid written by Elvia Arroyo-Ramirez in March 2017.

Conditions Governing Access

This 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:

Aurelio Cortés Collection of Reinaldo Arenas; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/bv73c329p
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box B-000894