Suggested Literary Readings

From Roots of Hope Wiki

One of the easiest (and fun) ways to learn about the island is through its cultural production. Cuban literature, music, and film abound in references to the Cuban experience, Cuba’s place in the world, and the Cuban identity itself. Though you will find that it is often difficult to get your hands on the works of Cuban authors, an encounter with a passage of prose or a couplet of verse will undoubtedly compensate you for the trouble.

Reinaldo Arenas (1943-1990)

• Celestino antes del alba (Singing from the Well)
• El mundo alucinante (Hallucinations)
• Otra vez el mar (Farewell to the Sea)
• Antes que anochezca (Before Night Falls)

Lydia Cabrera (1899-1991)

• El monte (The Wilderness)

Guillermo Cabrera Infante (1929-2005)

• Tres Tristes Tigres (Three Trapped Tigers)

Alejo Carpentier (1904-1980)

• El reino de este mundo (The Kingdom of this World)
• El siglo de las luces (Explosion in a Cathedral)
• El recurso del método (The Recourse to the Method)

Nicolás Guillén (1902-1989)

• La paloma de vuelo popular: Elegías (The Dove of Popular Flight: Elegies)

José María Heredia y Heredia (1803-1839)

• El Niágara (Niagara)

José Lezama Lima (1910-1976)

• Muerte de Narciso (Death of Narcissus)
• Paradiso (Paradiso)

Dulce María Loynaz (1902-1997)

• Jardín (Garden)

José Martí (1853-1895)

• La edad de oro (The Golden Age)
• Versos libres (Free Verses)

Leonardo Padura (1955- )

• El hombre que amaba a los perros (The Man Who Loved Dogs)

Virgilio Piñera (1912-1979)

• La carne de René (Rene’s Flesh)

Severo Sarduy (1937-1993)

• Cobra (Cobra)