Reflections on the Testimonial Genre and Casa de las Américas’ Literary Award (1970–2017)

Abstract

In this article, I look into how the conceptualization of the testimonial genre has changed over time in response to different historical, political and cultural circumstances: that is, how it has been conceived by different actors – writers, intellectuals, politicians and critics – in the literary field. I focus on two key moments, and to begin with, I consider the institutionalization of the genre in the 1970s by means of Casa de las Américas’ literary award. This moment is examined in relation to the specific political situation in Cuba at that time, as well as with regard to the then lively cultural debate on literature and politics. Secondly, I reflect on how the testimonial genre was reconceptualized around the turn of the millennium as a response to the need to rethink the Revolution in the wake of the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. I argue that the narrative of political revindication and the popular-subaltern modes, in vogue in the 70s and 80s, have been replaced by subjective-memorial accounts narrated by those who fifty years ago developed the ideals of the revolutionary movements.