El Apellido Nicolas Guillen English Translation Info

¿Saben mi nombre los amigos de Congo, de Guinea, de Angola? ¿Saben mi nombre los que un día me vendieron en la plaza pública?

"My Last Name" is frequently cited as one of the most effective poetic challenges to systemic racial silence in the Americas. In educational settings, it is used to teach concepts of transculturation (the merging of cultures) and the African influence in the Caribbean. The poem's rhetorical question—"What are the thirteen letters of my surname?" (referring to the letters in Nicolás Guillén)—forces the reader to consider that a name contains only a fraction of the story.

Throughout his career, Guillén received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to literature. He passed away on October 16, 1989, in Havana, Cuba.

Los apellidos | Spanish to English Translation - SpanishDictionary.com el apellido nicolas guillen english translation

Many years later, when I was already a man, I remembered that scene. And I understood that the search for that Black man was not only his own. It was the search of an entire people. A people without a last name. A people without a history written in the books of the powerful. But a people with a deep voice, a voice of drums and chains, of sugarcane and sweat, a voice that no one could erase.

: He laments the loss of his "true" African name, which was silenced during the transatlantic slave trade. He wonders if his name should have been , or another African variant. Transculturation

Note: The phrase "que no tengo" (that I do not have) is a crucial part of the translation, highlighting that the name he carries is not truly his own. Deep Dive into the Poem's Meaning ¿Saben mi nombre los amigos de Congo, de Guinea, de Angola

While the literal translation of "El Apellido" is "The Surname," most English versions of the poem are titled or "A Family Elegy." However, why is a surname so important? In Western tradition, the surname (or last name) is the symbol of the paternal legacy, the lineage passed down by the father. For Guillén, this concept was a source of deep, existential pain and inquiry.

Why does "El Apellido" remain so relevant decades after its publication? Because its themes transcend the specific history of Cuba and speak to the universal human condition of searching for belonging.

He smiled bitterly. —Then I will die without a last name. And when they bury me, they will only be able to write on my grave: “Here lies a man.” In educational settings, it is used to teach

Nicolás Guillén (1902–1989), Cuba's national poet, is renowned for his ability to blend African rhythms with Spanish poetic forms, focusing heavily on identity, race, and the impact of colonialism in the Caribbean. One of his most powerful, contemplative, and frequently studied poems is (The Surname/Last Name).

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If you are looking for a published version of , note that several exist. The most respected are by Roberto Márquez (in The Great Zoo / El gran zoo ) and David Frye . Márquez tends to keep line breaks intact, while Frye prioritizes natural English syntax. The translation above is original to this article but follows the Márquez school of thought: respect the original’s breath and repetition.

Guillén, who later became the National Poet of Cuba, used his work to explore mestizaje (racial mixing) and the distinct African roots of Caribbean culture. "El Apellido" specifically focuses on how transatlantic slavery stripped millions of Africans of their original family names, replacing them with the surnames of Spanish slave owners. English Translation of "El Apellido" (The Surname)