Tampa, Impressions of an Emigrant, by Wenceslao Gálvez y Delmonte

This book is a vivid window into the experiences and perspectives of a wellto-do, White, educated Cuban man in Florida at the end of the nineteenth century.The text, translated by Noel M. Smith, is accompanied by a helpful twopart introduction by Smith and Andrew T. Huse, an epilogue, perfectly placed explanatory footnotes, and archival photographs of many of the cities, buildings, and landscapes described in the text.Altogether, these ingredients make the book both accessible and informative.Each of its four parts contains numerous short chapters that describe everything from riding an electric street car, to suffering roach infested dwellings, to the way pickles swim "in a sea of vinegar" at a roadside grocery store.As Smith notes, this kind of detail is a reflection of the costumbrismo style, which aims to portray daily life unfiltered.In a move that seems almost irreverent, Gálvez y Delmonte can shift from talking about a local Cuban revolutionary hero and his many sacrifices for the independence cause to describing the jarring moan of the ice seller coming down the road.This casual style of observation makes Tampa, Impressions of an Emigrant a rare gem.Part One, especially Chapter 1 ("Exodus"), establishes the context in which the writer leaves Cuba.While he is not formally exiled, he, like many Cubans during the 1890s, is forced to leave Cuba due to a combination of political pressure, economic necessity, and fear of violence.After nearly 30 years of war and unrest, a third Cuban independence insurgency erupted in 1895.Spain, which held Cuba as a colony since the late 1400s, reacted quickly and resolutely.Unable to put down the insurgency as easily as anticipated, the government appointed General Valeriano Weyler to handle the response to the uprising.This decision was a clear indication of Spain's commitment to double down on its efforts to squelch the independence movement for good, as Weyler was known for his brutality.Tens of thousands of Cubans, rich and poor, Black and White, often whole families, fled Cuba, and many of them landed in Florida, including Gálvez y Delmonte.In Parts Two, Three, and Four, Gálvez y Delmonte offers his impressions of Tampa, Ybor City, and West Tampa, all of which were centers of Cuban emigration and revolutionary activism.His style is cheeky, casual, and sarcastic at times.The "impressions" read as if Gálvez y Delmonte intended to write them for young men and women of his social class who might not have traveled to Florida and might be curious about the experience.Indeed, the tone of the work invites us to walk alongside the author, see through his eyes and share in his opinions, many of which the twenty-first-century reader will not likely

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