Caribbean Literature in Spanish

Abstract

Abstract Given its varied history, geography, and demography, the Spanish‐speaking (Hispanic) Caribbean region has a unique relationship with postcoloniality. Unlike other parts of the world closely associated with postcolonial studies, India and numerous African countries, for instance, the various areas of the Hispanic Caribbean did not attain statehood during the wave of independence movements in the middle of the twentieth century. In addition, the independence movements that transformed much of mainland Spanish America during the first two decades of the nineteenth century did not yield similar results in the principal insular regions of the Hispanic Caribbean. Indeed, with a complex colonial legacy that dates from the beginnings of European activity in the Americas to the present day, the Hispanic Caribbean both challenges and enriches conventional views on postcoloniality. The literature from the region reflects this complexity.