Bonifacio Byrne ( 1861-1936)

Born in Matanzas, in the western part of Cuba. Since he was young he had a penchant for journalism, poetry and literature, therefore he visited the Literary Circle of his home town. In 1890 he founded LaMañana and Juventud Rival newspapers.

Few years later, in 1896, he had to migrate to the United States due to political reasons. In the exile he devoted to separatist activities and founded ClubRevolucionario in Tampax, of which he was the secretary. During his staying in this city of Florida, he worked as reader of cigar factory and collaborated in Patria, El Porvenir and El Expedicionario newspapers.

He returned to Cuba in 1899. Bonifacio Byrne is one of the most imaginary Cuban poets with a classic humor, not common on him before. His first work is a great example of modernism. Due to the circumstances of the Revolution, the poet that seemed to be a Scandinavian writer, become the poet of the war. The faraway lyric came to be a bloody epic. Once the peace was achieved, Byrne tries to return to the civil poetry, but there are deep wounds, and it is the romantic and sentimentalist lyric the one that prevails in this stage of his work.

He was the secretary of the Provincial Government of Matanzas and Provincial Prefecture of Schools during the period of the influenced Republic. In 1909 he founded ElYucayo newspaper and collaborated in some others: La Primavera, El Ateneo, Diario de Matanzas, El Fígaro and La Discusión. He was declared Illustrious Son of Matanzas in 1915. That same year he went to New York for the better of his health. Obtained poetic prizes in Juegos Florares in Sancti Spiritus (1916) and Matanzas (1934). He was founding member of Grupo Índice (1935), and corresponding partner of the National Academy of Arts. He also incursioned in theatre and published some of his works, though he left some others in the preparation stage as the novel Hijas y yernos, the story book Letra menuda and the poems collection Voces del alma.

Bibliography:

Excéntricas . (Verse), 893.

Efigies. Sonetos Patrióticos , 1896.

Lira y espada , 1901.

Poemas , 1903.

Varón en la puerta (play), 1905.

El legado (play), 1908.

El espíritu de Martí (play), 1908.

Rayo de sol (play), 1911.

En medio del camino , ( poetry ), 1914.

El anónimo (play), 1915.

Matanzas (play), 1920.

Selección poética , 1942.