José María de Heredia

Born Dec. 31, 1803, in Santiago de Cuba; died May 7, 1839, in Toluca, near Mexico City. Cuban poet.

One of the founders of Cuban poetry, Heredia was the author of revolutionary-patriotic lyrics written in a classical style. He was subjected to repressive measures for his activities in the struggle against Spanish colonial rule. His two collections of verse entitled Poems (1825, 1832) exhibit elements of romantic rebellion and melancholy and an interest in local color. Especially popular are Heredia’s patriotic poem “Hymn of the Exile” (1825), his philosophic narrative poem At the Temple of Cholula (1820; Russian translation, 1959), and his poems “Into the Storm” (1822) and “Niagara” (1824; Russian translation, 1959), both of which depict the power of nature.