“It is a privilege for Cubans to have a classic of Cuban and world literature, with 90 editions and translated into several languages,” the Fernando Ortiz Foundation highlighted in a press release.

It further explains that with this testimonial novel, Barnet has contributed, through the construction of his characters, to revisiting the historical and sociocultural memory of Cuba.

The academic forum “Biography of a Runaway Slave (1966-2026): A Work of Cultural Emancipation” will be part of the activities commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Fernando Ortiz Foundation and will take place in the Alfredo Guevara Hall of the Santo Domingo Building at San Geronimo University College in Havana.

The tribute will have the special collaboration of the Cuban Ministry of Culture, the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba, the Fernando Ortiz Chair of Anthropological Studies at the University of the Arts, and the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana.

Academics, intellectuals, researchers, and writers from Cuban and international institutions will participate in the event.

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