Lydia Cabrera Book order

Exploring Afro-Cuban religious and cultural traditions, this foundational work draws from conversations with elderly priests linked to the transatlantic slave trade. The author weaves together ethnography, history, folklore, and botany to portray the rich influence of Afro-Atlantic cultures in Cuba, emphasizing the spiritual and medicinal significance of the monte (forest). With discussions of herbs and deities, it serves as a comprehensive guide to Afro-Cuban spirituality. This edition includes a new foreword and translator notes, solidifying its importance for scholars and practitioners alike.

First published in Cuba in 1954 and appearing here in English for the first time, Lydia Cabrera's El Monte is a foundational and iconic study of Afro- Cuban religious and cultural tradition that is essential for scholars, activists, and practitioners alike.

The book explores the significance of Abakuá societies formed by enslaved Africans in Cuba during the early 1800s, focusing on their cultural practices and contributions to Cuban identity, including rumba music. It features Lydia Cabrera's groundbreaking phrasebook, the largest work on any African diaspora community in the Americas, now translated into English. The text includes detailed commentaries linking phrases to mythic rites and ritual performances, alongside illustrations and a new introduction, enriching the understanding of this vital aspect of Cuban heritage.

The book serves as a bilingual dictionary detailing the vocabulary used by the Congo people, emphasizing terms with special significance in Santería, an Afro-Cuban religion. It explores the cultural and spiritual context of these words, providing insights into their meanings and usage within the religious practices of the Congo community. This resource is valuable for those interested in the intersection of language and spirituality in Afro-Cuban traditions.

Wie eine Trickbetrügerin verwischt Lydia Cabrera die Grenzen zwischen Historie und Erzählung, zwischen Realität und Fiktion. Cabreras Geschichten entstanden anfänglich im Milieu der Pariser Avantgarde der Zwischenkriegszeit – in dem sie auch ihr Publikum fand. Ihre Texte gründen auf afrokubanischen Mythen und Volksmärchen und dienen bis heute Generationen von Künstlern, Autoren und Wissenschaftlern als Stoff und Inspiration. Als der Aufstieg des Faschismus Cabrera zu einer Rückkehr in ihre Heimat Kuba zwang, widmete sie sich von da an der Bewahrung afrokubanischer Kulturen – ein Lebenswerk, das in dem gelehrten und spirituellen Meisterwerk El Monte seinen Höhepunkt fand, in dem die kubanische Wildnis auf brillante Weise von den Stimmen und Ritualen der Toten zum Leben erweckt wird. Lydia Cabrera: Between the Sum and the Parts ist die erste ihrem Werk gewidmete Publikation in englischer Sprache. Text: Hans Ulrich Obrist, Gabriela Rangel, Asad Raza, Martin A. Tsang, Christopher Winks Published by: Americas Society / Koenig Books, London

A record of African culture transplanted to Cuba and transformed over time. This work provides a view of how African traditions, myths, stories, and religions traveled to the New World - of how, in their tales, Africans in the Americas created a New World all their own.