Antes que anochezca (Paperback)

by Reinaldo Arenas (Author), Reinaldo Arenas (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
With the success of Julian Schnabel's art-house movie Before Night Falls, based on the autobiography of Arenas and starring Spanish actor Javier Bardem, Arenas has begun to solidify his place in the Latin American canon. Almost unknown when he killed himself in 1990 (Jaime Manrique noted in the Village Voice that fewer than a dozen people attended Arena's funeral), Arenas is now recognized as one of Cuba's most furious and unconventional novelists, an accomplishment that is especially stunning when one learns that Arenas was an autodidact who carved his first poems into the trunks of trees. Arenas was born in the Cuban countryside in 1943, and as a teenager he supported Castro's revolution. But later on, his opposition to government policies and his status as a homosexual marked him as a "social danger" and a "counterrevolutionary"Ain the '70s, he was arrested and spent two years in El Morro prison. In 1980, he escaped the island and moved to the United States. At his death, Arenas left behind an impressive body of work: seven novels, a book of essays, an autobiography, and scores of poems. The Spanish publisher Tusquets has set out to republish all of Arenas's works, many of which are still difficult to find. In addition to Antes que anochezca, Arenas's moving autobiography, which he completed in New York City just days before he died, the publisher is now reprinting El palacio de las blanqu!simas mofetas, the third installment of Arenas's quintet of novels about Cuban history. Tusquets has already published the first two parts: El color del verano (The Color of Summer) and Celestino antes del alba (Celestino Before Dawn). Set in the time of Batista's dictatorship, El palacio follows the adventures of Fortunato, a young man who escapes the limitations of country life, and a series of failed romances, by joining the rebel army that threatens to overthrow Batista. These books will be of interest to all public and academic libraries and bookstores of all sizes.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
El 7 de diciembre de 1990 el escritor cubano Reinaldo Arenas, en fase terminal del SIDA, se suicidaba en Nueva York dejando este estremecedor testimonio personal y politico, que termino apenas unos dias antes de poner fin a su vida. Arenas, en efecto, reunia las tres condiciones mas idoneas para convertirse en uno de los muchos opositores engendrados por los dirigentes cubanos: ser escritor, homosexual y disidente.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: Tusquets (1996)
• ISBN-10: 8483105020
• ISBN-13: 978-8483105023
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #485,880 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Before it's too late ..., July 9, 2002

By	"ciudadlejana" (Hato Rey, Puerto Rico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Antes que anochezca (Paperback)

This autobiography is an excellent piece of literature and history. This is my second look into Cuban literature (the first piece being "Mascaras" by Leonardo Padura Fuentes). I now wish to read more about Cuban writers, especially those in exile.

Reinaldo Arenas vividly recounts his life in this autobiography. I do not know of the quality of the translations, therefore I do not know if the magic of the author's words are lost in the translation. If you are fluent in Spanish, I recommend you read the text in its original form. I think it is important we all take the time to open our hearts and minds ...

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reinaldo Arenas a Master Story Teller!, July 12, 2001

By	Ismael E. Valles (Centerville, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Antes que anochezca (Paperback)

This book is one of the best books I have ever read! Arenas is a master story teller!

I love it when I read a book and the author is able - through words - to transport me to that time and place. I could feel his happiness, his pain, I could smell what he was smelling, see what he was seeing . . . I was by his side through his tribulations in Cuba.

I have to admit that I was saddened when I reached the end page.

His use of the Spanish language is masterful and colorful - - you almost can taste every word he uses.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Antes que amanezca., June 23, 2006

By	L. M. Padron "the analyst" (FL, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Incomparablemente revelador, grosero y vulgar en ocasiones, profundamente sincero y conmovedoramente humano es este libro de quien ya se considera una de las figuras imprescindibles de la literatura cubana de la segunda mitad del siglo XX. En efecto, Reinaldo Arenas describe en esta obra ese mundo cruel de la Cuba castrista, de las persecuciones, de las represiones; ese mundo bajo y alucinante en que ha sido sumida la sociedad cubana en nombre de una supuesta ideologia, donde los que son sencillamente diferentes no tienen lugar.
Con un lenguaje que raya lo prohibido, Arenas describe la realidad que le toco vivir de una forma clara y precisa, llamando las cosas por su nombre, sin guardar silencio para con nadie segun su propio punto de vista.
Cercano como pocos a esa intelectualidad cubana que posteriormente la revolucion heredo (Vitier, Guillen, Fernandez Retamar, Eliseo Diego, P. Armando Fernandez y otros) describe el grado de sumision e insinceridad intelectual que mostraron tales personajes en vida, montandose en el carro rojo sin desearlo realmente.
"Antes que anochezca" es, en efecto, la historia de una vida de sufrimientos, de penurias, de incomprensiones, de represalias, de intolerancias y de descalabros que a alguien le toco vivir en la Cuba de Fidel Castro. Lean esta obra todos aquellos que aun no lo han hecho, leanla con la esperanza de encontrar algo positivo para poder hacer las cosas bien en nuestra Patria cuando definitivamente amanezca en ella.