Culture and the Cuban Revolution : Conversations in Havana

The thirteen people interviewed in this book played a leading role in cultural life during the years of the revolutionary process and today are considered official Cuban figures. They discuss a range of topics: their own work and limits on it and the challenge of producing art in a poor country.

This unusual collaboration between a Cuban novelist and a Canadian professor offers uncensored and frank interviews with prominent figures of contemporary Cuban cultural life, from a Grammy-winning jazz artist to world-class filmmakers and actors, writers, ballet dancers, and dramatists. In recent years the small island, with a population of just 11 million, has experienced an astonishing cultural renaissance. The immense popularity of the movies Buena Vista Social Club and Strawberry and Chocolate, the successful international tours of the National Ballet of Cuba, and a host of literary prizes in Spain and Latin America attest to this phenomenon. The thirteen people interviewed played a leading role in cultural life during the years of the revolutionary process and today are considered official Cuban figures - Silvio Rodriguez, Anton Arrufat, Alicia Alonso, Abelardo Estorino, Chucho Valdes, Pablo Armando Fernandez, Leo Brouwer, Nancy Morejon, Roberto Fernandez Retamar, Roberto Fabelo, Frank Fernandez, Fernando Perez, and Jorge Perugorria. They discuss a range of topics - their own work and limits on it, the challenge of producing art in a poor country, and threats of censorship. All state categorically that they feel a profound sense of national identity and an acute awareness of their role as cultural symbol. Together, these candid interviews offer a unique perspective on the artist and intellectual in socialist society and an overview of the dynamic expression of popular culture in Cuba today.