The tireless researcher and collector Emilio Cueto made a donation of his most recent books to the Library of the House of the Americas, in Havana, said Abel Prieto, president of the house of the Americas.
The donation includes the work Sources for the study and presence of Cuba and Cubans in foreign fiction literaturea narrative volume and another of poetry.
Abel Prieto expressed with admiration in his X account (former Twitter): “He has managed to demonstrate with rigorous evidence the universality of Cuba. Thank you, Emilio !!! Always keep that angel of the jiribilla that accompanies you !!! #Cuba.”
A recococation of the tireless work of Cueto and its contribution to keep Cuban culture alive on and off the island.
Intellectual profile
Born in Havana in 1944, Emilio Cueto is an outstanding lawyer, researcher, musicograph, actor and passionate collector of the Cuban heritage of all time.
He emigrated to the United States in 1961 and since then has dedicated his life to rescue, preserve and disseminate the visual, cultural and historical memory of Cuba through a work that combines rigorous research with a deep love for his homeland.
His intellectual and visual work has been fundamental for the study and dissemination of the Cuban legacy, joining different disciplines and supports to offer a multifaceted vision of the island.
Throughout his career, Cueto has published numerous works that have marked milestones in Cuban historiography and cultural visuality:
Mialhe’s Colonial Cuba (1992) / The picturesque cuba of Frédéric Mialhe (2010): Facsimilar edition that rescues recorded from the nineteenth century that captures the colonial tubes with an exquisite graphic quality.
Cuba in Old Maps (1999): A tour of the history of the Cuban territory through historical maps, accounting for its geographical and political evolution.
Illustrating Cuba’s Flora and Fauna (2002): An exhaustive compendium of naturalistic illustrations that reflect the unique biodiversity of Cuba.
The Virgin of Charity of copper in the soul of the Cuban people (2014): A monumental volume with more than a thousand images that examines the cult of the spiritual patron of Cuba from different historical and cultural angles.
One hundred ships in the history of Cuba: A symbolic work that says Cuban historical events marked by significant vessels, linking sea and memory.
Other notable works include studies and compilations on music in Camagüey, Santiago Lithographs, and the Cuban footprint in the United States reflected in photographs and cultural objects in books Cuba in the USA (2018).
His work Carrying Cuba through the mail (2021) presents international stamps and postcards with Cuban theme, showing how the island is present in different cultures of the world.
Emiloteca
In addition to his publications, Cueto has consolidated one of the biggest private collections about Cuba in the world, located in his apartments in Washington, DC, a few steps from the White House.
This space, known as Emiloteca, works as a true personal museum with newspapers, books, magazines, LPs, posters, maps, art, and emblematic everyday objects of Cuban culture, such as rum bottles, cigars boxes, silver spoons and porcelain.
Among the most valuable pieces is a British ivory horn of 1762, a tangible symbol of the rich and complex Cuban history.
The collection has been visited by academics and specialists from around the world, who find in it an invaluable resource for the study of the Caribbean country.
According to a reportage in The Washington PostCueto has collected “anything related to Cuba – from books and press clippings to porcelain objects and cigarette memorabilia – capturing a multilateral vision of the island and its history.”
