José Lezama Lima was born in Havana in 1910. He is considered the foremost Cuban poet of the 20th century. His prose is full of signs, enigmas, parables, and allegories, which allude to a secret, intimate reality. Lezama Lima cultivated novels as well as a poetic style incomparable to any writer of his time and scope.

In the early 1970s, José Lezama Lima wrote his sisters Eloísa and Rosa in Miami requesting a pair of shoes and detailing the size and color he would like to have.  Lezama Lima had lived two decades in Cuba and had been recognized as a leading poetic figure in his own lifetime both inside and outside the country. This letter (top) illustrates twofold his poetic vision and the special circumstances surrounding his life in Cuba during this decade. He needed a pair shoes but at the same time took the opportunity to write his sisters a note on the contour of his foot.

Having received the requested pair of shoes, Lezama Lima composed a poem thanking his sisters for them. The poem (bottom) lays bare his use of the shoes as a metaphor to recount his life and that of his family.  The poetic discourse in José Lezama Lima's work is both commonplace and Baroque in the imagery of its usage. This poem illustrates how such an ordinary item can give rise to such symbolic verse. 

These items form part of the José Lezama Lima Papers of the Cuban Heritage Collection. Donated in 2001 by Lezama Lima's sister Eloísa, this collection consists of the siblings' correspondence from 1961 to Lezama Lima's death in 1976.

To access this collection, please contact the Cuban Heritage Collection at 305-284-4900 or visit it online.

Letter and poem: CHC5047, Folder 18. José Lezama Lima Papers, Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami Libraries, Coral Gables, Florida.