In Memoriam: Francisco Perez Guzmán
2006; University of Pittsburgh Press; Volume: 37; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/cub.2007.0006
ISSN1548-2464
Autores Tópico(s)Cuban History and Society
ResumoCuban historiography lost one of its most prominent practitioners on May 21, 2006, when Francisco Perez Guzman - Panchito, as he was known to all his friends-passed away. He was buried in his beloved Guira de Melena a day later. Attending the memorial service were many of his colleagues, people who had worked with him for many years in several academic institutions, particularly the Cuban Academy of Sciences and the Institute of History. Joining his wife Caridad and his daughter Melba were, among others, historians Gloria Garcia, Mercedes Garcia, Gladys Garcia Marel, Mildred de la Torre, editor and historian Enrique Lopez, and his long-time friend, collaborator and self-described intellectual mother, Zoila Lapique. Professor Eduardo Torres-Cuevas, President of the Casa de Altos Estudios don Fernando Ortiz, spoke of Panchito's accomplishments. So did Dr. Raul Izquierdo Canosa, President of die Union Nacional de Historiadores de Cuba. Panchito was sixty-five years old.On at least two counts, Panchito deserved the homage that his colleagues were giving him. The author of some fourteen books, his contributions to the historiography of Cuba covered topics as varied as the wars of independence, Cuba's role in Spain's eighteenth-century empire, Christopher Columbus's encounter with the island in 1492, the life and ideas of patriot Maximo Gomez, and the impact of Simon Bolivar's liberation movement on Cuban society. Few historians have studied Cuba's past with the dedication and passion that he showed.His studies of the wars of independence stand out as the most important area of his work. In fact, it is no exaggeration to state that it is not possible to discuss the historiography of the wars without making reference to Panchito's vast research on this topic. His very first book, published in 1974, looked at the anti-colonial war of 1895-1898 from the vantage point of the capital of the island and discussed in detail the various narratives that circulated at the time about the death of Cuban legendary fighter Antonio Maceo. His next two books were devoted to the wars as well. La batalla de las Guasimas (1975) analyzed one of the most important military events in the Ten Years War, a battle planned and conducted by General Maximo Gomez in 1874. In La Guerra Chiquita: una experiencia necesaria (1982), Panchito and his collaborator Rodolfo Sarracino analyzed the efforts by a group of patriots to launch a new anticolonial war in 1879. In these books, Panchito combined the approaches of military history with the methods of social history. …
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