“In 1997, I ‘followed’ Arturo Schomburg to Seville and Grenada, Spain to see some of the places where he purchased his most prized treasures, like this 1573 book (on desk) of poetry by Juan Latino. Born a slave, Latino became one of Spain’s greatest Latin scholars and educators. In 1926, soon after NYPL purchased Schomburg’s collection for $10,000 (a sum vastly lower than its actual value) he traveled to Europe to find and buy more treasures. For Schomburg, Latino provides a valuable link between African Diasporan writers spanning more than 2,000 years, from Terence Afer (Rome) to Phillis Wheatley, Alexander Pushkin (Russia), Alexandre Dumas (father and son, France), Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou and many contemporary poets and writers. Another favorite of Schomburg’s (and mine too, in the background of photo) is the Pietro Calvi marble and bronze bust of Ira Aldridge as Othello,which he acquired in 1936.”—Christopher Moore, Curator and Special Projects Coordinator, Schomburg Center.
To learn more about Arturo Schomburg’s collection and the Center, join Christopher Moore on a guided tour on October 5, 2011.
