Aguirre, Mirta (1912—)
Aguirre, Mirta (1912—)
Cuban poet and essayist. Born in Cuba in 1912. Wrote largely political and revolutionary verse, as well as essays; publications include Juegos y otros poemas (Games and Other Poems, 1974) and Ayer de hoy (Yesterday Today, 1980).
In Stalinist Cuba, Mirta Aguirre wrote poetry and essays that protested the established political climate. She utilized criollismo—the pointed exaggeration of local customs, people, and language—as a tool of political and social criticism in her poetry; she also used the Gypsy ballad, made famous by García Lorca, to sing the praises and demonstrate the detriments of opposing factions and people. Perhaps due to the subversive nature of her work, Aguirre is little known outside Cuba. In her country, her writing is presented in journals and newspapers, and in several collections of verse and essay.