born Jan. 28, 1853, Havana, Cuba
died May 19, 1895, Dos Ríos
Cuban poet, essayist, and patriot.
Involved in an 1868 revolutionary uprising, Martí was deported to Spain, where he received a law degree and continued his political activities and writing. He later lived in various countries, spending most of 1881–95 in New York City. He organized and unified the movement for Cuban independence and died in battle. As a writer, he is noted for his personal prose and deceptively simple verse on themes of a free and united America. His essays, such as those in Our America (1881), are often considered his greatest contribution to Latin American letters. He is the national hero of Cuba.