Alejo Carpentier (1904-1980) Série-Collection : Un siècle d'écrivains

Emilio Pacull
1997 - 49 min - Couleur - France

An incessant journey between classic European culture inherited from his parents, and his vital, physical need to belong to the American continent, to its history and its destiny, the work of Alejo Carpentier is steeped in history and metaphysics, but also music and humanity. [...]
In 1921, he left the bucolic land of his childhood for the turbulence of the political and artistic life of Havana. As a cultural journalist for "La Discussion", he took a stand against the tyranny of Machado and for Cuba's independence. After his imprisonment in 1927, he went secretly to Paris where he became a columnist of Parisian cultural life and ambassador of the "marvellous real" of Afro-Cuban art. After testifying to the Spanish tragedy, he left Europe. He began to write novels, like "Le Royaume de ce monde" or "Le Siècle des lumières". In 1959, he went back to Cuba for good and Fidel Castro entrusted Cultural Affairs to him. Myriam Bloedé.