Mariano Brull was one of the leading Cuban poets in the 20th century, whose work was influenced by the work of Stéphane Mallarmé and Paul Valéry.
Brull spent part of his childhood in Spain before completing his education in Cuba. He graduated in 1914 from the University of Havana with a Doctor of Law degree and after a few years of practicing law entered the diplomatic service. His first posts were in the United States, Peru and Spain, where he became part of the Madrid’s thriving literary café scene that included Rafael Alberti, Jorge Guillén, Federico García Lorca and many others. Brull lived in Paris (1927–1934), Rome (1934–1937) and Brussels (1937–1939) where he worked with German Jews seeking visas to emigrate, and as commissioner for the repatriation of Cubans fleeing the Spanish Civil War. Seeing that war was imminent, he insisted on returning to Havana in 1939. The ship carrying all of the Brull’s effects was torpedoed a year later by the Germans and sank. After the war, he served posts in Canada and Uruguay as Cuba’s Ambassador.
He published five books of poetry: La casa del silencio/The House of Silence (1916), Poemas en menguante/Waning Poems (1928),Canto redondo/Round Song (1934), Solo de rosa/Rose Solo (1941), Temps en peine/Time in Sorrow (1950), and Rien que…/Nothing More Than… (1954) and a Spanish translation of Paul Valery‘s “Le Cimetiére Marin” (The Graveyard by the Sea) and “La Jeune Parque” (The Young Fate).
Brull lived at this address from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. He was part of the wartime community of Latin American writers in Washington that included friends Claribel Alegria, Zenobia Camprubí Aymar, and Juan Ramón Jiménez.
The Homes
2016 Hillyer Place NW, Washington, DC
Mariano Brull
2016 Hillyer Place NW
Located in Sheridan/Kalorama neighborhood, Northwest - East of Rock Creek