There is no definitive biography of José Martí despite the many which have appeared in the past fifty years, but Carlos Márquez Sterling’s Martí. Ciudadano de América is one of the better works. Obviously a labor of love, it presents a distinguished account of Martí’s life giving equal treatment to the early formative years and to the more commonly studied later years.
Márquez Sterling, a leading figure in the Cuban exile movement, is incensed over Premier Fidel Castro’s adoption of Martí as a figure in the revolutionary movement. Accordingly his biography of Martí concludes with an impassioned attack on Castro and other supporters of the present Cuban government who have in Márquez Sterling ’s view “attempted to adulterate Martí” (p. 406). The author takes Castro to task for making Martí into a Marxist and argues that ‘‘Martí is a dedicated enemy of totalitarianism . . ., a fighter who never would have become affiliated with Marxism” (p. 407).
Some may quibble with Márquez Sterling for his polemic argument on this point, but the issue has been raised by Castro himself and deserves debate. Márquez Sterling’s book is marred, however, by the lack of footnotes and bibliographical data, which raises doubts about the sources of some of the author’s quotations from Martí and other writers. Moreover, there are numerous pieces of conversation attributed to Martí and to others which may represent what Márquez Sterling believes the individuals would have said but do not in fact have any historical basis. Despite these reservations about the book it is important to note that the biography is a valuable new look at Martí and includes fresh material on his early life.
