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Lillian Guerra Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 0392

Scope and Content

The Lillian Guerra Collection includes photographs, historical documents and ephemeral objects related to Cuba's struggle for independence, revolution, social life, Cuban enterprises, and political parties. This collection includes a collection of portraits from the early 20th century taken at various photographic studios in Havana, photographs from the late 19th century showing Cubans involved in the struggle for independence, correspondence between Tomás Estrada Palma and Juan Francisco O'Farrill, a commemorative sculpture and coin of José Martí, and documents and ephemeral material related to the Partido del Pueblo Cubano and Partido Comunista de Cuba. It also includes unpublished material on Cuban cinema by Raúl Rodríguez, professor at the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC) and cousin of Guerra.

Dates

  • Creation: 1890-2013

Creator

Language of Materials

Includes materials written in Spanish and English.

Access

The collection is open for research.

NOTE: Some materials in this collection are only available digitally. Please consult with the archivist to access these materials.

Biographical/Historical Note

Born to Cuban exiles who came to the U.S. in 1965, Lillian Guerra has studied and written about Cuba for eighteen years. She received her B.A. from Dartmouth College and her Ph.D. degree in history from the University of Wisconsin.

Before teaching Cuban and Caribbean History at the University of Florida's Department of History, Guerra taught Cuban, Caribbean, and Latin American history at Bates College and Yale University. She is the author of three books Popular Expression and National Identity in Puerto Rico (1998), The Myth of José Martí: Conflicting Nationalisms in Early Twentieth-Century Cuba (2005), and Visions of Power in Cuba: Revolution, Redemption and Resistance, 1959-1971 (2012), which obtained the Bryce Wood Award from the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), as well as many scholarly essays dealing with Cuba and the Caribbean. She has also written four collections of poetry and a book of short stories.

Extent

1.41 Linear feet (3 Boxes)

.847 Gigabytes (22 Folders)

Abstract

The Lillian Guerra Collection includes photographs, historical documents, ephemeral objects, and manuscripts from Cuba.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into eight series: presentations, audiovisual material, manuscript documents, promotional material, artifacts, José Martí Pamphlets, Raúl Rodriguez Book Manuscript on Cuban Cinema, and US Material on Cuba. Within each series, items are organized in chronological order.

Physical Location

University of Florida Smathers Library Building

Alternate Form of Finding Aid

This guide is available in Spanish at https://www.uflib.ufl.edu/findingaids/Spanish/mss0392.pdf.

Acquisition Information

Collection donated by Lillian Guerra in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2024.

Related Material

The Manuel Ray Oral History Collection includes two filmed interviews conducted by Lillian Guerra.

The Neill Macaulay Collection includes a filmed interview with Nancy Macaulay that Lillian Guerra, Christopher Woolley, and Margarita Vargas-Betancourt conducted in 2012.

The artifacts related to the José Martí Centennial are related to centennial material found in the Romero Family Papers Regarding José Martí.

Title
A Guide to the Lillian Guerra Collection
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid created by Ana D. Rodríguez, Katiana Bagué, and Margarita Vargas-Betancourt
Date
December 2017. (Updated September 2024)
Description rules
Finding Aid Prepared Using Dacs
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is written in English.

Revision Statements

  • August 2021: This finding aid was revised in August 2021 by Nelissa Caraballo to include 6 new additions to the collection
  • September 2024: Revised to add 22 digital scans of pulp fiction magazines from the 1950s-1960s.

Repository Details

Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository

Contact:
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755