Jorge Reyes
Jorge Reyes Figueras (born 1972) is a Cuban-born, American author known for authoring books in several genres. He is an honor graduate (1993) of Barry University, from which he received a B.A. in history, a B.S in political science, and a minor in literature.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Born in Santiago de Cuba, Reyes left Cuba with his parents via Costa Rica, before settling permanently in Miami in 1982.
[edit] Writing
Reyes has written books in several genres of literature: biography, fiction, non-fiction, children's books and poetry. Most of what is known about Reyes's childhood was penned down by Reyes himself in his book, Rediscovering Cuba: A Personal Memoir, published in 2001. In it, he talks about his childhood days in a small town called Boniato on the outskirts of Santiago de Cuba. The book itself, based on a family emergency, became also an analysis of Cuba's present condition as viewed by Reyes himself. Reyes's method of choosing to write his Cuban memoirs displayed some writing skills for which he has been noted, mainly: 1) The ability to utilize a wide array of genres in unexpected but highly effective visual ways; 2) The ability to write biographical themes, such as his Cuban memoirs, which many writers reserve for fictional accounts, such as: stream of consciousness, poetry, and even short-stories in order to explain non-fictional accounts of events.
In 2003, Reyes surprised his readership by publishing, among other things, a book of poems titled, My Words Mean Something, which did not seem to please his fans, nor Reyes himself, but it was a genre which he would return to with, "Day's Night." No publication date has been set for this collection of poetry.
The next few years Reyes slowed down a seemingly prolific writing career, shelving most of the books slated for publication after 2006, and which included both "Caramelo's Dream" and "Day's Night." No explanation has been given to publicly account for Reyes's sudden halt in his writings, though it was rumored that he was simply maturing into his craft by seeking other literary interests, concentrating mostly on the essay format, and to expound on a variety of subject-matters of particular interests to him, mainly on art and politics.
Day's Night is a collection of poems about "a self-examined look at a love affair gone sour," with illustrations by the reclusive artist Neith Nevelson. The Reyes/Nevelson duo, described by Entertainment News Weekly as one of the strangest cooperations in literary history, is one which, nonetheless, seems to have pleased some critics if pre-publication reviews are any indication of a book's worth. Aside from Reyes's terse comments about the book's topic, theme and origins, Reyes has refused to discuss much about the personal affair that prompted him to write about the book. For someone who has always been extremely guarded about his private matters, the choice to write a book while refusing to discuss much of its personal origins seems to be what attracts many to Reyes's readership.
Reyes lives in South Florida.
[edit] Bibliography
- Guia Para Descubrir Tu Cuerpo (Your Body) (2000) ISBN 0-939193-55-8
- Rediscovering Cuba: A Personal Memoir (2001) ISBN 0-595-19457-5
- My Words Mean Something (2003) ISBN 0-595-22311-7
- Forthcoming books
- Day's Night, with Neith Nevelson (Illustrator)
- Caramelo's Dream ISBN 0-595-26859-5
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The 2002 Miami International Book Fair
- "Let Cuba be rediscovered by this generation" (article by Jorge Reyes, The Miami Herald, 2001)
- The Reyes Report: A biweekly column at Blogspot
