Biography of a Runaway Slave (Paperback)

by Miguel Barnet (Author) "There are things in life I do not understand..." (more)
Key Phrases: testimonial novel, half peso, fallow season, Mal Tiempo, Las Villas, San Juan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
In this 1968 title, Cuban poet, novelist, and anthropologist Barnet recounts the life of Esteban Montejo, a former slave who became a fugitive living in the wild and later served as a soldier in Cuba's war for independence. Barnet received the information firsthand through interviews with Montejo in his 105th year (he lived to 113). Though on the surface this is the story of one man, on a larger scale it serves as an account of how African culture was introduced to the Caribbean through slavery. This is the first paperback edition of the volume.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"...a powerful account of a vanished world...invaluable." -- Newsweek

"...as authentic a voice of history as you are likely to hear." -- National Catholic Reporter

"He [Esteban] is the radical truth so many of us are still so reluctant to face." -- National Catholic Reporter

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Product Details

• Paperback: 217 pages
• Publisher: Curbstone Press (July 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880684187
• ISBN-13: 978-1880684184
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #417,456 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Masterful reconstruction of the life of a Cuban slave, June 15, 2000

By	Robert M. Levine (Coral Gables, FL United States) - See all my reviews

Miguel Barnet, eduated in Havana at an American school, came to discover his Cuban heritage later in life. His tour-de-force was The Life of a Runaway Slave, the as-told-to-biography of Estaban Montejo, an earthy, candid man who had runaway from the sugar fields and who had fought in Cuba's wars for independence. One thing readers must remember is that Barnet intevriewed Montejo when the latter was 103 years old, in a nursing home, in 1963 when the interviews were started. Oral history is difficult enough and this great time-lag makes the task of the interviewer even more dificult.

5.0 out of 5 stars great read, May 13, 2007

By	K. Tooms "Gulfcore Srfr" (Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book gives great insight into a slave's life and his attitudes before and after freedom. He also tells about living in the woods as a runaway. Well worth the money.

2.0 out of 5 stars Questionable change of authorship, May 24, 2004

By	"jeffonthebodkin" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

In the preface to the (translated) 1968 edition of "The Autobiography of a Runaway Slave" (by Esteban Montejo, edited by Miguel Barnet), Barnet describes how Montejo had recounted his life story and adds, "Esteban soon became the real author of this book. He was constantly looking at my notebook, and he almost forced me to write down everything he said."

Though I do not own a copy of the recent edition, it is very puzzling that Barnet now lists himself as first author, followed by the translator, with Montejo's name last. Certainly the work of an editor or translator is arduous, and deserves proper credit. Yet both are distinct from the author's.

It's both an irony and a shame that Barnet, who is a white member of Cuba's ruling elite, seems to have appropriated the story of a poor, black slave, whose protests and defiance more than 100 years ago would surely be considered counter-revolutionary today.