Over the Waves and Other Stories / Sobre las olas y otros cuentos: A Bilingual Edition (Hardcover)

~ Ines Maria Martiatu (Author), Emmanuel Harris II (Translator), Tanit Fernandez de la Reguera (Contributor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Appearing for the first time outside of Cuba, this bold collection of short stories provides an intimate and critical view of Afro-Cuba. Inés María Martiatu’s stories—presented here in the original Spanish, with facing-page English translations—span postcolonial Cuba of the early twentieth century, the First Republic, the “victorious revolution,” and contemporary life in the streets of Havana. Taking real risks as an Afro-Cubana, Martiatu confronts conflicts about identity, race, marginalization, and discrimination.

 
The history of the Caribbean, as part of the African diaspora, is reflected in the textures of life in Cuba, its music, rituals and myths, the Church and Santería, past and present. While race is unquestionably fundamental to the stories, they are at the same time rooted in the universality of the human experience. The vantage is that of an unflinching, yet compassionate observer of society—one who simultaneously turns an introspective mirror on the complicated layers of self.

 

About the Author

Inés María Martiatu is a writer, theater critic, and cultural historian. Her other published works include Rite as Representation. Caribbean Ritual Theatre, and Something Good and Interesting. She lives in Havana.
 
Emmanuel Harris II is assistant professor of Spanish at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. He is the translator of Malambo, also published by Swan Isle Press.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Swan Isle Press; Bilingual edition (April 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097488815X
• ISBN-13: 978-0974888156
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,663,121 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars thought-provoking, September 4, 2009

By	Marsha A. Nathan - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This collection of short stories by a Cuban author shed light on roles of women, influence of African culture on Cuba folklore. They stories are well-written and varied. The analysis of the stories at the end give one a knowledge of the historical background and enhance a further understanding of the stories themselves.