Identity elements
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Agustín Acosta Papers
Date(s)
- 1908-1998 (Creation)
- 1970s (Creation)
Extent
25 Boxes
Name of creator
Biographical history
Agustín Acosta (1886-1979) was a Cuban post-modernist poet and politician active in the 20th century. Born in Matanzas, Cuba, in November 1886, he completed his preliminary studies in Matanzas and early on in his career started working as a telegraph operator for a Cuban railroad line, acting as head of the telegraph service from 1909 to 1920.
Acosta graduated with a law degree from the University of Havana in 1918, and went on to become a notary in 1921, exercising this profession in Jagüey Grande, Matanzas, until he was politically imprisoned during the dictatorship of Gerardo Machado. After the fall of the Machadato, Acosta served as provisional governor of Matanzas from 1933 to 1934. His other political offices included cabinet secretary to Carlos Mendieta, senator (1936-1944) and president of the Partido Unión Nacionalista (1936-1937).
A poet and a statesman, Acosta contributed both prose and poetry to various Cuban publications, most notably El Fígaro, El Cubano Libre, Socialand Carteles. Some of his well-known works of poetry include Ala(1915), La zafra(1926), Los camellos distantes(1936) and Caminos de hierro (1963), as well as multiple essays on José Martí.
Acosta left Cuba in 1972, living in Miami until his death in 1979.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The Agustín Acosta Papers contain the correspondence, writings and memorabilia of Agustín Acosta (1886-1979), named Cuba's National Poet in 1955.
The collection includes correspondence between Agustín Acosta and his literary and political contemporaries, as well as his wife, Consuelo Acosta.
Writings include published pamphlets from Acosta and other authors on topics ranging from poetry to politics and science; articles and clippings written by and about Acosta, as well as those collected by him and his wife; and manuscripts and galley proofs of Acosta's poetry books.
The collection also contains memorabilia related to Acosta's personal and professional life, including postcards; photographs; homages to the poet, both late in his career and posthumous; drawings and caricatures; and scrapbooks.
System of arrangement
The collection is arranged into six series: Correspondence; Pamphlets; Photographs and Memorabilia; Articles and Clippings; Writings; and Scrapbooks. Original order was preserved throughout.
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
This collection is open for research.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Requests to publish or display materials from this collection require written permission from the rights owner. Please contact chc@miami.edu for more information.
Preferred citation: Agustín Acosta Papers, Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami Libraries, Coral Gables, Florida.
Languages of the material
- English
- French
- Italian
- Spanish
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Generated finding aid
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Gift of Sara A. Orbón, 2012.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Seven boxes of books are to be added to the Cuban Heritage Collection holdings.
The Cuban Heritage Collection houses the papers of several correspondents from the Agustín Acosta Papers, listed below:
Eduardo Avilés Ramírez Collection
Roberto Cazorla Collection
Octavio R. Costa Papers
Cuban Historical and Literary Manuscripts Collection
Gabriel García Galán Collection
G.A.L.A. (Grupo Artístico Literario Abril) Records
Eugenio Florit Papers
Gustavo Godoy y Agostini Collection
Carlos Márquez-Sterling Papers
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Processed by Amanda Moreno, August 2013. Updated by Rebeca Gonzalez, May 2021.