The Debate on ‘The Padilla Case’ Was the Main Cuban Cultural Event in February

14ymedio, Havana, 28 February 2023 — Two events marked the discussions on Cuban literature this February: the Havana International Book Fair and the controversy over the documentary El caso Padilla (2022) [The Padilla Case], by Pavel Giroud. Cuban authors, editors and translators also dealt with issues such as the return to the Island from exile and … Continue reading “The Debate on ‘The Padilla Case’ Was the Main Cuban Cultural Event in February”

2022, a Fertile Year Outside the Island for Books Linked to Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 1 January 2022 — The return of Detective Mario Conde, the adventures of Federico García Lorca in Havana and a fast-paced essay on the concentration camps on the Island marked the route of the Cuban book in 2022. 14ymedio proposes an account of the best titles from authors residing inside and outside the … Continue reading “2022, a Fertile Year Outside the Island for Books Linked to Cuba”

Alexis Diaz de Villegas, Cuban Actor and ‘Survivor’

14ymedio, Havana, 26 December 2022 — About the actor Alexis Díaz de Villegas, who died in Havana at the age of 56, the writer Néstor Díaz de Villegas, his uncle, said that “Alexis had existed in the tragedy and for the tragedy.” However, many Cubans identified his elongated arms, his ironic and smiling face, and his … Continue reading “Alexis Diaz de Villegas, Cuban Actor and ‘Survivor’”

Hellish Transportation, Impossible Prices and Little Literature at the Havana Book Fair

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodriguez, Havana, 21 April 2022 — The line this Thursday to take a bus to the fortress of San Carlos de La Cabaña, the venue for the XXX Havana Book Fair (FILH) until April 30, was long and crowded. The wait for transport was almost an hour, as transit is, once again, experiencing a crisis … Continue reading “Hellish Transportation, Impossible Prices and Little Literature at the Havana Book Fair”

‘In Cuba Your Mind Cannot Advance Because You Are Focused on Your Survival’

14ymedio, Yaiza Santos, Madrid, 20 June 2021 — Náyare Menoyo (Baracoa, 1995) created Leonardo Padura, A Squalid and Moving Story as a graduation project from the University of Havana, where she studied Journalism. She did it, she tells this newspaper, “alone, alone, alone,” with a camera her faculty lent her and the help of her … Continue reading “‘In Cuba Your Mind Cannot Advance Because You Are Focused on Your Survival’”

Cuban Politics During the Last Six Decades / Somos+, Hector Fernandez

Somos+, Héctor Fernández, 23 May 2020 — For more than five decades, the Castro brothers – good thieves that they are – did all kinds of illicit business, such as trafficking in arms, gold, marble, drugs, anything that could be beneficial to the Government. Africa, America, and Europe were their primary settings. They seized such … Continue reading “Cuban Politics During the Last Six Decades / Somos+, Hector Fernandez”

Two Havanas Within a Single City / Ivan Garcia

Iván García, 5 December 2019 — For three days now there is no running drinkable water. If you want to purchase a pack of cigarettes or medication at the drugstore after 8pm, you must walk more than a kilometer. It is common for men to urinate in the public right-of-way and for people to dump … Continue reading “Two Havanas Within a Single City / Ivan Garcia”

The Euphemism that Looks After Me / Alejandro González Acosta

Alejandro González Acosta, 1 December 2017, Mexico City — Lichi[1] told me that the last time he was in Cuba[2], he went to visit a G-2 colonel at home, the brother of a famous Cuban historian who was Lichi’s good friend in Mexico. Between drinks and confidences, Lichi asked him: “Come on, man, just between us: … Continue reading “The Euphemism that Looks After Me / Alejandro González Acosta”

Ileana Álvarez, Wings Always Ready To Fly / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 18 February 2017 — When one looks at that territory of Cuban literature inhabited by women, it is usually observed from the concept of gender. Among those who study the phenomenon with more intensity, and also with more courage, Ileana Álvarez stands out. She is a poet, essayist, author of a dozen books and … Continue reading “Ileana Álvarez, Wings Always Ready To Fly / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar”

Cuban Writer Wendy Guerra Honored With France’s Order of Arts and Letters / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 28 September 2016 – Cuban writer Wendy Guerra has been named an officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by France’s Ministry of Culture. The recognition in one level higher than the Order’s knighthood, which she was awarded in 2010. “France is my second home and the place where my voice resonates … Continue reading “Cuban Writer Wendy Guerra Honored With France’s Order of Arts and Letters / 14ymedio”

14ymedio’s 14 Cuban Faces of the Year for 2015 / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 24 December 2015 — The protagonists of 2015 Cuba have made their mark sometime in the past twelve months. These people from the areas of culture, sports, religion, politics, science or social activism made this year different and unique. They did it from celebrity or from ridicule; from victory or failure; from discretion or … Continue reading “14ymedio’s 14 Cuban Faces of the Year for 2015 / 14ymedio”

AMIR VALLE: The Early Writer / Angel Santiesteban

Angel Santiesteban talks with Amir Valle about personal experiences that marked their lives. By Ángel Santiesteban Prats, 9 July 2015 Angel Santiesteban: Amir, we are about to celebrate thirty years since the beginning of our friendship, when back in the mid-eighties, at the Alejo Carpentier Center in Havana, they held National Seminar for Young Storywriters, … Continue reading “AMIR VALLE: The Early Writer / Angel Santiesteban”

On Censorship And Its Demons / 14ymedio, Enrique Colina

14ymedio, Enrique Colina, 30 October 2015 – The artistic censorship practiced in Cuba during these 56 years, against works and creators, from a culture in favor of a supposed defense of the Revolution, has paradoxically resulted in a backlash against the political prestige of the Revolutionary Process, the same one that encouraged and developed from … Continue reading “On Censorship And Its Demons / 14ymedio, Enrique Colina”

“Return to Ithaca” or the Magic of Censorship / 14ymedio, Miriam Celaya

14ymedio, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 4 May 2015 — The reunion of five friends on a roof terrace in Central Havana is the thread on which Return to Ithaca’s plot rests. Leonardo Padura wrote the screenplay and Laurent Cantet directed this French film about Cuban topics. The film is currently circulating underground among Havana moviegoers, preceded … Continue reading ““Return to Ithaca” or the Magic of Censorship / 14ymedio, Miriam Celaya”

Book Fair or Fidel of the Books / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo

CENSORSHIP WITHOUT CENSORING Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo 2003 was a deadly year for Cuba. In March, the government declared an open war on the citizens. In less than a few hours, the Police arrested over a hundred peaceful dissidents and independent journalists from all across the island. Although the international press nicknamed the most notable … Continue reading “Book Fair or Fidel of the Books / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”