‘Sórdida Tropical’: Carlos Lechuga Writing Without Apologies

Carlos Lechuga presents his most insolent novel in Madrid 14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, 9 June 2025 — Madrid/ Carlos Lechuga presented Sórdida Tropical this Saturday at Arenales, the Madrid bookstore that has become something of a spiritual embassy for the Cuban creative exile. Published by Hypermedia, ‘Sórdida Tropical’ is not exactly his latest novel, but … Continue reading “‘Sórdida Tropical’: Carlos Lechuga Writing Without Apologies”

Yunior Garcia and Carlos Lechuga Win the Norwegian Fund for Cuban Cinema

14ymedio, Havana, 29 October 2021 — This Friday the winning projects of the eighth edition of the Norwegian Fund for Cuban Cinema 2021 were announced. In the list of artists published by the diplomatic headquarters of that country on the island, the playwright Yunior García and the filmmaker Carlos Lechuga stand out. García won with the proposal for the … Continue reading “Yunior Garcia and Carlos Lechuga Win the Norwegian Fund for Cuban Cinema”

Cuban Faces of 2016: Carlos Lechuga, Filmmaker (b. Havana, 1983)

14ymedio, Havana, 24 December 2016 – Cuban Faces of 2016: The film Molasses (2013), director Carlos Lechuga’s debut, garnered much applause, but it was his second feature which placed him at the center of public attention. The film Santa and Andrés was excluded from the 38th edition of the Havana Film Festival, for political reasons. The film tells the story of a … Continue reading “Cuban Faces of 2016: Carlos Lechuga, Filmmaker (b. Havana, 1983)”

The 14 Most Important Cuban Books of 2025

Novels, essay, and poetry in a year of memory, critique, and literary resistance 14ymedio, Havana, January 10, 2026  — Cuban literature in 2025 once again demonstrated that, even in a context of editorial scarcity, censorship, and geographic dispersion, books remain one of the most effective tools for thinking about the country. From the Island and from … Continue reading “The 14 Most Important Cuban Books of 2025”

July Books: Variations on the Orishas, the Lottery and the Cuban Incubator

Katherine Perzant’s book about the Cuban countryside has just won the Franz Kafka prize for essay and testimony 14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 9 August 2025 — Katherine Perzant has rediscovered for readers the physical and spiritual desert of the Cuban countryside. A skeletal train that crosses a plain; oxen grazing casually by the road; miles … Continue reading “July Books: Variations on the Orishas, the Lottery and the Cuban Incubator”

Eduardo López-Collazi, Scientist and Writer Who Left Cuba ‘To Be Free’

14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, 26 april 2025 – “I left Cuba to be free”, Eduardo López-Collazo said on Saturday in Madrid at the launch of his first novel, ’Narcisos’. After thirty years in Spain his life has become an example of personal and professional realization, combining rigorous investigation with creativity, a passion for the … Continue reading “Eduardo López-Collazi, Scientist and Writer Who Left Cuba ‘To Be Free’”

Cuba: How to Convert a Distinguished Pioneer Into a Vile Elvispreslian Worm

14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 6 March 2024 — Carlos Lechuga Hevia was a machine for the Revolution. His grandfather, Colonel Manuel Lechuga was a machine for Independence. What type of machine is his grandson, Carlos D. Lechuga? His first last name is barely a letter, an elipsis, interfering with the nice ring of the clan … Continue reading “Cuba: How to Convert a Distinguished Pioneer Into a Vile Elvispreslian Worm”

A Recording Made by Miguel Coyula Reveals the Tensions Between Filmmakers and Cultural Authorities

14ymedio, Havana, 3 July 2023 — Film director Miguel Coyula made public this Sunday several video and audio fragments recorded during the meeting held on June 23 at the Chaplin Cinema, in Havana, attended by more than a hundred filmmakers and authorities from the Ministry of Culture and the Communist Party. Gathered in the Assembly of Cuban … Continue reading “A Recording Made by Miguel Coyula Reveals the Tensions Between Filmmakers and Cultural Authorities”

Cuban Filmmakers Meet To Express Their Disagreements With the Cultural Authorities

14ymedio, Havana, 24 June 2023 — More than a hundred Cuban filmmakers expressed their disagreement with the authorities about the decisions made with a documentary about the Argentine singer Fito Páez and his relationship with the Island. The creators, grouped in the Assembly of Cuban Filmmakers — which includes the prestigious director Fernando Pérez and … Continue reading “Cuban Filmmakers Meet To Express Their Disagreements With the Cultural Authorities”

Cuban Otero Alcantara Wins the Impact Award from the Dutch Prince Claus Foundation

14ymedio, Madrid, 6 September 2022 — The artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, leader of the San Isidro Movement (MSI), is one of the winners of the Impact awards of the Prince Claus Foundation in the Netherlands, which every two years recognizes cultural professionals around the world, not only for their work but for their “positive … Continue reading “Cuban Otero Alcantara Wins the Impact Award from the Dutch Prince Claus Foundation”

‘An Elephant on a Spider’s Web’, Cuban Filmmaker Rolando Diaz’s Look at Longevity

14ymedio, Havana, 22 April 2022 — Cuban filmmaker Rolando Díaz has just premiered his latest film, An Elephant on a Spider’s Web, at the Seattle Film Festival in the United States, a look at old age with touches of comedy. “Living 110 years is no small joke,” the director told the Spanish newspaper 20minutos, in an … Continue reading “‘An Elephant on a Spider’s Web’, Cuban Filmmaker Rolando Diaz’s Look at Longevity”

Cuban Filmmaker Rolando Díaz Denounces the “Despicable” Acts of Repudiation to Repress 15N

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 7 December 2021 — Repression on the island frustrated “through despicable acts of repudiation” the November 15th march (15N), events that marked “a before and after in the recent history of Cuba,” filmmaker Rolando Diaz denounced in Havana. The creator, who left the country in the mid-90’s, spoke to the public … Continue reading “Cuban Filmmaker Rolando Díaz Denounces the “Despicable” Acts of Repudiation to Repress 15N”

Amanda Hernandez Celaya, 17, Arrested in Cuba on July 11, Acquitted

14ymedio, Havana, 22 July 2021 — The young woman Amanda Hernández Celaya, arrested on July 11 in the heat of the protests that shook the country, was acquitted this Thursday for lack of evidence after a summary trial was carried out in Havana, as confirmed to 14ymedio by members of her family. Hernández was charged with the same … Continue reading “Amanda Hernandez Celaya, 17, Arrested in Cuba on July 11, Acquitted”

Cuban Artist Hamlet Lavastida Detained in Villa Marista and ‘Under Investigation’

14ymedio, Havana, 27 June 2021 — The Cuban artist Hamlet Lavastida is being held in Villa Marista, the State Security headquarters in Havana, and is under an “investigation process,” according to what the authorities told his mother by telephone on Saturday night. Lavastida returned to Cuba from Germany on June 21, after finishing his residency … Continue reading “Cuban Artist Hamlet Lavastida Detained in Villa Marista and ‘Under Investigation’”

The Usefulness of the Tongue / Regina Coyula

Regina Coyula, 9 September 2020 — There are things I read that have the effect of making me want to write more. I was commenting to my love about that convoluted relationship we maintain, a game of distances, a game that Carlos Lechuga would understand and will understand better when he is an old man. … Continue reading “The Usefulness of the Tongue / Regina Coyula”