Aponte

Francisco Calcagno's (1827-1903) “Aponte”, published in 1901, is a fascinating and controversial “police novel” that delves into the tumultuous history of the 1812 Aponte slave rebellion in Cuba. Calcagno, a prolific Cuban intellectual whose own origins hint at racial ambiguity, was a complex figure: an abolitionist who simultaneously propagated prevailing racist views. This edition, meticulously introduced by Francisco Morán, unravels Calcagno's “amphibological” discourse, exposing the deep-seated “miedo al negro” (fear of the Black man) that permeated colonial Cuban society.

The novel begins dramatically with the public display of Aponte's decapitated head in an iron cage, a horrifying symbol of colonial repression. Calcagno masterfully uses this chilling image, alongside another unnamed, racially ambiguous head, to create a gripping narrative mystery. Through a blend of history and fiction, newspaper excerpts, and social commentary, Calcagno explores the official suppression of the rebellion, the anxieties of the white elite, and the complex roles of figures like the powerful Del Monte family in upholding the colonial order.

Aponte functions as a meticulous investigation, not just into a historical event, but into the institutionalization of racism itself. The narrative's “police” structure creates suspense, postponing the revelation of the second head's identity until the climax. The novel's provocative ending, where a white head is revealed to be “black” (“ese blanco... era negro”), subtly subverts the intended message of colonial control, exposing the profound racial anxieties and the fluidity of racial identity in Cuba. This unexpected twist ultimately challenges the very essence of racial categorization and the violence it justified.

This critical edition offers unparalleled insights into the colonial imagination, the dynamics of racial fear, and the intricate relationship between history and narrative. It is an indispensable resource for scholars and students of Afro-Cuban literature, colonial studies, and the history of slavery in the Caribbean.