Launch of the Roberto Fernández Retamar Martí Club

The Roberto Fernández Retamar Martí Club was officially launched at the Fayad Jamís Bookstore in Havana’s Historic Center, celebrating the 95th anniversary of the birth of the renowned poet, essayist, and cultural advocate. The club aims to unite individuals interested in studying and promoting the legacy of Cuba’s national hero, José Martí.

This grassroots organization, affiliated with the José Martí Cultural Society, was inaugurated during the event titled El elogio oportuno, hosted by journalist and literary critic Fernando Rodríguez Sosa. The gathering featured writers Laidi Fernández de Juan, Olga Marta Pérez, and Arturo Arango, who discussed various aspects of the life and work of this distinguished Cuban intellectual.

Attendees received copies of Todo Caliban, a seminal work by Roberto Fernández Retamar, published by Ocean Sur. They also listened to recordings of poems read by the author himself, who was awarded Cuba’s National Literature Prize in 1989.

The Martí Club—based at the Fayad Jamís Bookstore and the Cuban Book Institute, and co-sponsored by the Economic Society of Friends of the Country—will play a vital role in advancing the mission and objectives of the José Martí Cultural Society. Its efforts will particularly focus on the systematic study of Martí’s teachings and enduring legacy.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez