Ebook: Exile and Revolution: José D. Poyo, Key West, and Cuban Independence

“Poyo led nationalist efforts in the exile community in Florida for over thirty years and was a fierce advocate for the cause both before and after, as well as alongside, José Martí. Poyo’s significant but largely unheralded role in the [Cuban] independence movement fully comes to light in this thoroughly researched book.”—Anne Fountain, author of José Martí and U.S. Writers

“A must-read for those interested in the Cuban émigré colony of Key West during the nineteenth century and its involvement in the War of 1895 in Cuba.”—Consuelo E. Stebbins, author of City of Intrigue, Nest of Revolution

José Dolores Poyo (1836–1911) was an activist, publisher, social critic, fundraiser, and foundational figure in the campaign for Cuban independence from Spain. His leadership and his mantra—“adelante la revolución” (forward the revolution)—mobilized an insurrectionist movement in Key West. His multidimensional grassroots work and his newspaper El Yara, the longest-lived Cuban exile newspaper of the nineteenth century, gave hope to a people who aspired to be liberated from the bonds of colonialism.         

In Exile and Revolution, Gerald Poyo provides a comprehensive account of how his great-great-grandfather spurred the working-class community of Key West to transform their roles as supporting cast to become critical actors in the struggle for Cuban independence. The book reveals the depth of Cuba’s longtime ties to Florida, the cigar industry, and its workers; the experience of Cubans in the American South; and the diplomatic intrigues involving Spain, Cuba, and the United States.