Identity elements
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Natasha Mella Papers
Date(s)
- 1860-2010 (Creation)
- circa 1960s-2010s (Creation)
Extent
11 Boxes
Name of creator
Biographical history
Natasha Mella (1927-2014) was the only daughter of 1920s Communist leader, Julio Antonio Mella (1903-1929), who founded the Primer Partido Comunista Cubano in 1925. Natasha Mella was an intellectual and for two years, a Cuban diplomat as part of the Departamento de Asuntos Asiáticos del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, appointed by Roberto Agramonte in 1959. However, Mella left Cuba in 1961 as an exile with her husband and the family settled in Miami, where she continued to publish essays, editorials and radio scripts on Cuban politics and history.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The Natasha Mella Papers contain the personal papers of the Cuban exile intellectual Natasha Mella (1927-2014). The collection contains photographs and audio cassettes of radio programs, conferences, interviews, and other recordings relating to Mella's writings, primarily from her time in exile. There is also correspondence, clippings, and pamphlets which relate to Mella's research on Cuban politics and history as well as correspondence with fellow exiled Cubans. There are numerous speeches, handwritten notes both personal and for research, and essays and articles written by her on Cuban topics for various news and radio outlets, especially in Miami.
System of arrangement
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: Natasha Mella Papers, Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida.
Languages of the material
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Generated finding aid
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
First donation of 7 boxes in April, 2014 and second donation of 4 boxes in July, 2014.
Immediate source of acquisition
Gift of Ileana La Fontissee, April and July 2014.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Collection-level record by Rahid Chadid and Natalie Baur, May 2014. Updated by Rebeca Gonzalez, May 2021.