This anthology showcases the work of leading Cuban and American writers and photographers and offers an insight into life in the island nation today. While the world ponders Cuba's future and the United States weighs the effects of the trade embargo imposed more than 40 years ago, Cubans go about their everyday lives overcoming obstacles with a mixture of ingenuity, intelligence, perseverence and, above all else, a sense of humour. The book aims to be an honest and balanced portrayal of the complex realities of modern Cuban life. Essays and portfolios of images are linked to central themes including music, sexuality, architecture, Afro-Cuban culture, rural life and the role of women. The introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Kennedy, titled "Going to Cuba?", sets the stage for an array of visions and voices. An epilogue by playwright Arthur Miller, titled "Castro", concludes the book.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
As Kennedy explains, this collection of essays and photographs by Cubans, Cubans in exile and interested Americans isn't so much about the politics of Cuba as "the consequence of politics to Cuba." While its structure is simple enough-short essays on themes like spirituality, the new middle class and rural life coupled with sets of photos, introduced by artists' statements-its texture is delightfully varied and idiosyncratic. In playwright Abelardo Estorino's comical "I Smoke Marlboros," a well-meaning gringo, a revolutionary servant and her formerly upper-class employer cross wits. The entry on Cuban music is a pastiche of interviews with stars Chucho Valdes and El Tosco, who both segue seamlessly into politics and history as they discuss music. There are straightforward autobiographical reflections, like Achy Obejas's thoughts on returning to Cuba and being mistaken for an American, and more philosophical meditations, such as Eduardo Rodriguez's essay on being a "casual stroller" through Old Havana's restorations and ruins. The photos following each entry are related thematically, but could stand alone as visual essays. Some, like Kattia Garcia Fayat's "Women in the New Cuba," speak a sensual language, where the subjects' gestures and postures communicate volumes; others, like Manuel Pina's offerings, unpeel time in the falling paint from walls and the frozen dignity of a once elegant parlor. The kaleidoscope of images-Virginia Beahan's breathtakingly empty landscapes, Sylvia Plachy's vibrant urban scenes, Abelardo Morell's haunting camera obscura projections of cityscapes on interiors-will open readers' eyes to a country not so much "third world" as "other world."
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"...gives readers cause for rejoicing...the words are as powerful as the pictures...a fresh and moving portrait of modern Cuba...picture-perfect." -- People, 5/16/03
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tribute to a culture,
By Peter P. Ferro DDS (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Cuba on the Verge: An Island in Transition (Hardcover)
We were drawn to the title of this book simply because of our interest in Cuba and its history and hardships. Hoping to someday visit, we were intrigued by the visual and literary representation of the story. The photography is provocative with components of sadness and pride evident in the faces that are looking back at the camera. What is remarkable is the tragedy of a once beautiful country. The destruction of Cuba and the hopelessness of its people are vividly depicted. Yet the pride and strength that is intrinsic to Cuba's culture fosters growth and change.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A MASTERPIECE,
By
This review is from: Cuba on the Verge: An Island in Transition (Hardcover)
If you look at something from enough different angles, you begin to sense what it is truly like. That is the overarching strategy of this wondrous book. Multi-faceted Cuba is seen through the eyes of greatly gifted writers and photographers, each with his or her own unique relationship with and idiosyncratic take on the island. The strategy succeeds brilliantly. Paradoxes and trade-offs are subtly explored, for example, between the blessings of free education and health care versus constraints on the ability to pursue dreams. You get not only to understand but also to feel the sensuous physical beauty of the place and the strains of Cuba's love/hate relationship with the U.S.. After spending time with this book, I feel as if I had actually been there and am left with a longing to go.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thank you for this book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Cuba on the Verge: An Island in Transition (Hardcover)
I'm a Cuban artist currently living in the US. This book is the most important book about Cuba today to come out in many years. The images are magnificent and the concept is orginal and very smart. The essays provide an additional layer of texture than the basic coffee table book with photos alone. Now, when people ask me what Cuba is like, I'm going to show them this book.
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