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Many of his works, including anthologies titled My Last Name / El Apellido , are published in bilingual formats to make his work accessible to English-speaking audiences.
“Will it return from the root of fallen trees? / ...from nothingness?” el apellido nicolas guillen english translation
In English-speaking genealogies, Guillén corresponds to surnames like , Williamson , or simply William . Etymological Evolution
"¿Desde la escuela / no me viene diciendo mi nombre un número, / un papel, un muchacho...?" This public link is valid for 7 days
The poem opens as a dialogue. The speaker is confronting you —the reader, the white establishment, or the Spanish descendant who takes surnames for granted. By the end, the question turns inward.
The most devastating images in the poem are the grandparents. They are "mute" because they were violently stripped of their language. When Guillén writes that their "tongues rotted in their mouths," he is referencing the linguistic genocide of enslaved Africans. They could not pass on their tribal surnames because they were forbidden to speak their native tongues (Lucumí, Kikongo, etc.). Can’t copy the link right now
For students, scholars, and poetry lovers searching for this article provides a complete, authoritative guide. You will find the original Spanish text, a precise English translation, a line-by-line breakdown, and an analysis of the poem’s historical and cultural significance.
As a leader of the Afro-Cuban movement, Guillén celebrates the "mulatto" reality of Cuba while demanding recognition for the African element that is often silenced. Genealogical Silence:
