Jorge Reyes

Jorge (Ivan) Reyes (born 1971) is a Cuban-born, American author known for authoring books in several genres. He is an honor graduate (1993) of Barry University, from which he received a B.A. in history, a B.S in political science, and a minor in literature.

Biography

Early life

Born in Santiago de Cuba, Reyes left Cuba with his parents via Costa Rica, before settling permanently in Miami in 1982.

Writing

Reyes has written books in several genres of literature: biography, fiction, non-fiction, children's books and poetry.

Most of what is known about Reyes's childhood was penned down by Reyes himself in his book, Rediscovering Cuba: A Personal Memoir, published in 2001.

"Rediscovering Cuba: A Personal Memoir".

In it, he talks about his childhood days in a small town called Boniato on the outskirts of Santiago de Cuba. The book itself, based on a family emergency, became also an analysis of Cuba's present condition as viewed by Reyes himself. Reyes's method of choosing to write his Cuban memoirs displayed some writing skills for which he has been noted, mainly:

1) The ability to utilize a wide array of genres in unexpected but highly effective visual ways; 2) The ability to write biographical themes, such as his Cuban memoirs, which many writers reserve for fictional accounts, such as: stream of consciousness, poetry, and even short-stories in order to explain non-fictional accounts of events.

"My Words Mean Something".

In 2002, Reyes addressed the 2002 Miami Book Fair International giving a lecture on Cuban literature along with Lee Williams, author of "Author of Destiny".

In 2003, Reyes surprised his readership by publishing, among other things, a book of poems titled, My Words Mean Something, which didn't seem to please his fans, nor Reyes himself, but it was a genre which he would return to with, "Day's Night," to be published in 2007, five years after finishing it.

The next few years Reyes slowed down a seemingly prolific writing career, shelving most of the books slated for publication after 2003 and which included both "Caramelo's Dream" and "Day's Night."

"Caramelo's Dream". Publication Date (Unknown)

No explanation has been given to publicly account for Reyes's sudden halt in his writings, though it was rumored that he was simply maturing into his craft by seeking other literary interests, concentrating mostly on the essay format, to expound on a variety of subject-matters of particular interests to him, mainly on art and politics. Again, always demonstrating Reyes's penchant for diversity in his writings, these essays are known as much for their refreshing approach to their topic matter as much as for their eclectically-drawn conclusions, if not often confrontational style.

Finally, in 2006, the long-promised book of poems Day's Night was announced to be published sometimes in September, 2009. No publication date has been given for "Caramelo's Dream."

Day's Night is a collection of poems about "a self-examined look at a love affair gone sour," with illustrations by the reclusive artist Neith Nevelson. The Reyes/Nevelson duo, described as one of the strangest cooperations in literary history, is one which, nonetheless, seems to have pleased some critics if pre-publication reviews are any indication of a book's worth. Aside from Reyes's terse comments about the book's topic, theme and origins, Reyes has refused to discuss much about the personal affair that prompted him to write about the book. For someone who has always been extremely guarded about his private matters, the choice to write a book while refusing to discuss much of its personal origins seems to be what attracts many to Reyes's readership.

Reyes lives in South Florida.

Bibliography

• Guia Para Descubrir Tu Cuerpo (Your Body) (2000) ISBN 0-939193-55-8
• Rediscovering Cuba: A Personal Memoir (2001) ISBN 0-595-19457-5
• My Words Mean Something (2003) ISBN 0-595-22311-7

Forthcoming books

• Day's Night, with Neith Nevelson (Illustrator) (2006)
• City Hall is Murder (2007/8)
• Caramelo's Dream (2007) ISBN 0-595-26859-5
• Rape: simply a story (2007)

External links

• JorgeReyes.info - official website
• A website which includes a biography for Jorge Reyes
• Latin Biz Magazine (Spring 2006, PDF), featuring an article on Reyes
• Article on Jorge Reyes from a local community newspaper in South Florida
• The 2002 Miami International Book Fair
• "Let Cuba be rediscovered by this generation" (article by Jorge Reyes, The Miami Herald, 2001)
• The Reyes Report: A biweekly column at Blogspot

See also

Literature portal

• List of Cuban American writers
• List of Cuban Americans