Abstract:
José Martí lived most of his adult life in New York. This presentation places Martí in his New York
milieu and identifies the ways in which the city influenced his life and work. From democratic
culture, corruption, expansionism, stark social contrasts and social justice, Martí was exposed to
what New York had to offer: a look at the new patterns of urban modernity. New York was also
the premier setting, for decades before Martí arrived, of émigré activities on behalf of Cuban
separatism. Félix Varela, the annexationists, the exiles from the Ten-Years War, and the
autonomists, all represent a tradition of Cuban activism in the city. Martí applied the lessons he
learned from the failed history of Cuban separatism in New York to his campaign for
independence, accomplishing what no Cuban émigré leader has been able to do, before or after
him: create a unified civilian movement that initiated a sustained war effort in Cuba. His foresight
also proved prophetic when the events of 1898 frustrated the quest for Cuban sovereignty. The
focus of this presentation is on Martí as a New Yorker, in all its dimensions, from the political and
intellectual to his everyday life in the city.