Before and After the Revolution An Exploration of the Trajectory of Cuban Children’s Literature

Abstract

The abrupt transition from the Republic (1902-1958) to the Revolution in 1959 caused cultural, social, and political changes in Cuba that shaped and affected the literary production for children. Through a chronological approach, this chapter explores the drastic shift of themes, tone, and narrative styles among the different generations of authors who write children’s literature in pre- and post-revolutionary Cuba. This text analyzes how sociological and cultural factors directly affected the representation and creation of national identity and the function of ideology in the writing of the most significant authors of children’s literature of each period in relation to their particular social and political circumstances.