Manuel Agustín Nápoles Fajardo (Las Tunas, 1836 - United States? 1871) brought to life Flores del Alma (1860) (Flowers of the Soul), the first book printed in this province. In his honor, the territorial publishing house is named Sanlope, the author's pseudonym; and every year, the Provincial Committee of the Union of Writers and Artists (UNEAC) organizes a poetry day entitled after the poem with the scent of flowers and spirit. This calendar was no exception.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Writers, artists, musicians, and other creators came to the headquarters of the artistic vanguard to honor with their works the man who was, according to intellectual Carlos Tamayo, ‘the first publisher of José Martí’. On this occasion, the event was dedicated to Lesbia de la Fe, Carlos Tamayo, and Maritza Batista, three outstanding literary personalities in the province, who have also promoted reading and culture in general.
The panel Sanlope and the Genesis of Las Tunas Literature, led by Dr. Frank Arteaga, was one of the highlights of this festival and part of the celebrations for the 63rd anniversary of UNEAC. Carlos Tamayo, Bienvenido de Ávila, Lesbia de la Fe, and Ernesto Triguero brought us closer to the founding moments of the local label. The latter, for example, spoke about the historical context that marked that period, and the characteristics and factors that influenced the birth of the publishing house in 1991.
Triguero mentioned, among the guidelines that marked the work of Sanlope in those years, the great work of promoting reading, manifested in the emergence of folders, leaflets, and supplements. He also highlighted the impetus given to literature in the territory by figures such as Guillermo Vidal, the rise of artistic culture, the exaltation of aesthetic education, and governmental support for the Faure Chomón-style management processes.
On the other hand, the Flores del Alma Day featured poetry readings, children's activities, and a bibliographic exhibition of local authors. Likewise, characteristic spaces of Uneac such as El Guateque de Dimitri and the gathering Desde el verso a la Estrella, hosted by Marina Lourdes Jacobo, also joined in the festivities, with varied proposals. All of them beautiful ways of honoring that brother of El Cucalambé who, one day in 1860, gave us his Flores del alma.
