English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
I am reading The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera. The first time the book showed up (the expression seems fantastical, but in Cuba that is how one gets these books), I was washing diapers. I preferred to read it and laugh quietly in the early morning so as not to wake up my … Continue reading “The birthmark of the rabbit shows his life in the snow… JLL* / Lilianne Ruiz”
Drops of sweat, dancing, hips in motion, suggestive eyes. It’s night at a Havana party and the erotic tension feels like a tangible presence, corporeal. Eyes connect, gestures form a pact to meet in the dark, the lips agree without words, the battle of the kisses will come later. On this island sexuality seems to … Continue reading “The Bed or the Street? / Yoani Sánchez”
Citizen Demand for Another Cuba As Cubans, legitimate children of this land and an essential part of our nation, we feel a deep sorrow at the prolonged crisis that we are experiencing and the demonstrated inability of the current government to make fundamental changes. This obliges us, from civil society, to seek and demand our … Continue reading “Citizen Demand for Another Cuba – 536 Signatures and Counting”
Citizen Demand for Another Cuba As Cubans, legitimate children of this land and an essential part of our nation, we feel a deep sorrow at the prolonged crisis that we are experiencing and the demonstrated inability of the current government to make fundamental changes. This obliges us, from civil society, to seek and demand our … Continue reading “For Another Cuba – Citizen Demand for Another Cuba”
As our regular readers know, the purpose of this site is to bring voices from the island of Cuba to a broader readership. The only exceptions we make to that rule are two: First — When “Translating Cuba” bloggers who began blogging in Cuba go into exile, we continue to translate them. Second — At … Continue reading “The Voice of a Cuban no Longer in Cuba: What the Pope saw in Cuba”
Who could have told the patriarch Fidel Castro that in the autumn of his years he would find an ally to repeal the Cuban Adjustment Act, and not among his starched-brain little spokespeople in the leftist corners of the world, but among Miami’s ranks of the ultra-right-wing itself? If he had the strength for it, … Continue reading “Brain Adjustment Act / Ernesto Morales Licea”
Well now I am in my house, just returned from the sixth birthday of Ada’s twins; Ada is the sister of my friend Agustín. I love going with my daughter, all very simple, just great in the way that she knows how to share this family whose roots are in Villa Clara. There is nothing … Continue reading “Forbidden Books / Lilianne Ruíz”
I am still laughing about the first glance at my digital library, in which I have been able to succeed in capturing known authors from many years ago. To have some of the books saved moves me, including one of the poems, by Carlos Alberto Montaner, a pair of passages from speeches from conferences, by … Continue reading “Limits to the Tolerance of the Librarian / Lilianne Ruíz”
It’s daylight robbery. Every time a Cuban residing abroad decides to visit their home country, the must pay a crude ‘revolutionary tax’ to the Castro brothers government. Let’s get out the calculator. In 2012 nearly 400,000 Cuban emigrants visited the island. Before unpacking the plasma TVs, computers, video games and smartphones for their relatives, all … Continue reading “Emigration is Good Business for the Cuban Government / Iván García”
Reading Carlos Alberto Montaner’s book, Conversation at the funeral of the Comandante. What will happen after the death of Fidel Castro?, from the first pages I could recognize a reality that was predicted by the author several years before it happened. Who could have predicted that Carlos Lage — the “majordomo” of the Palace who, … Continue reading “The Fate of the Cuban Taliban / Angel Santiesteban”
On May 5, Liu Santiesteban, from Havana but living in Spain, sent seven questions to Ivan for an interview in his blog, Todo el mundo habla (The Whole World Talks). Ivan does not like to be interviewed, he said that journalists are for interviewing, not being interviewed. But a week later, he sent back the … Continue reading ““In the environment of Yoani Sanchez, there are people who have an African hatred for me.” / Iván García”
Diario de Cuba y el dia antes, originally uploaded by orlandoluispardolazo. Cuban intellectuals, both on the island and in exile, try to imagine from time to time the more comfortable scenario of the day after. After, it is understood, the Revolution. Each offers his pebble of futuristic prose about it. Our army of national Nostradamuses … Continue reading “Diario de Cuba and the Day Before / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
I recently heard Carlos Alberto Montaner in a presentation on art and literature in exile which I had the good fortune to attend. According to Montaner, one of the points on which the Cuban regime undoubtedly has been shrewd, is the negative connotation they have managed to associate with the terms “anti-Castro” in global eyes, … Continue reading “Cuba Yes, Dictators No / Ernesto Morales Licea”
Message from Paquito de Rivera to Marta Valdés Dear Marta (Valdés): I congratulate you on your brave insertion into the group of Cuban intellectuals against the sadly famous ex-ex-ex cultural leader Luis Pavón, who, by the way, has been for a long time a perfect non-entity (pun intended). I hope this is just an introduction … Continue reading “Message from Paquito de Rivera / POLEMICA: The 2007 Intellectual Debate”
When I invited a group of friends in December to send messages for the second anniversary of the Desde La Habana blog, I didn’t expect that so many would reply, much less with such praiseful greetings to the blog and to me. In my style, I’ll continue reflecting the reality of my country and its … Continue reading “Thank you! / Iván García”