Carlos Franqui - Role in The Cuban Revolution

Role in The Cuban Revolution

Franqui broke ranks with the Cuban Communist Party in the late 1940s, but he remained an unaffiliated leftist. After the Fulgencio Batista coup in 1952, he became involved with the "Movimiento 26 de Julio" which was directed by Fidel Castro. His contribution to the movement included co-editing the underground newspaper Revolución in Havana, for which he was in charge of public information. One article in particular reported the landing of the Granma and the confirmation of Fidel Castro's safety in the Sierra Maestra. He was jailed and tortured by the police. On his release, he went into exile in Mexico and Florida, but was soon drafted by Castro into the Sierra Maestra to continue work on Revolución, the guerrilla movement's clandestine newspaper and Radio Rebelde, their clandestine radio station. See his book of published interviews, letters and personal thoughts in his "Diary of the Cuban Revolution". NY: The Viking Press, 1980.

Upon the success of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, he was placed in charge of Revolución, which became an official paper. During his tenure as editor, he maintained a degree of independence from the official line and emphasized the arts and literature, starting the literary supplement "Lunes de Revolución", which was directed by Guillermo Cabrera Infante and where high quality work by Cuban and international authors was featured. His position allowed him to travel extensively outside of Cuba. During his European travels, he met artists and intellectuals, such as Pablo Picasso, Miró, Calder, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Julio Cortázar and many others. A significant number of these artists traveled to Cuba. One of the most memorable visits was that of Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, which is recounted in the aforementioned book.

Due to his critical attitude, Franqui had frequent disagreements with the government, which eventually led to his resignation from "Revolución". The paper was closed a few months later. After his resignation, Franqui dedicated himself to art, organizing the famous "Salón de Mayo" exhibit in Havana (1967), where all leading artists in the world were represented.