Cuba - Lonely Planet [35]
But it wasn’t all wine and roses. Ever adamant to guard his ethos of ‘in the Revolution everything, against the Revolution nothing,’ Castro’s artistic judgment turned increasingly bellicose in the late ’60s and early ’70s when skeptical writers and critics were treated with growing intolerance and disdain. With the press effectively silenced and any criticism of the Revolution viewed as largely treasonable, many talented writers fled into exile, including respected novelist Guillermo Cabrera Infante and the former editor of the newspaper Revolución, Carlos Franqui.
Yet, despite the draconian clampdown, Cuba somehow managed to avoid the artistic asphyxiations of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Part of the reason for this success is the country’s consistently high literacy rate (Cubans are avid readers) coupled with its already strong tradition of music and dance. Another underlying bonus has been the continued loyalty of key cultural icons such as Uneac founder Nicolás Guillén and writer Alejo Carpentier, who have gone a long way in promoting Cuba’s culture and artistic image abroad.
Headquartered in all of the 14 provinces, Uneac is a welcome sight in any Cuban city. Usually housed in tastefully restored colonial buildings, the centers are friendly and inclusive places that offer fresh and probing art in a variety of different genres. You can catch a music concert here, attend a film debate, see a Lorca play, or view cutting-edge art expos – all for free.
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Cubans are crazy for poetry, so don’t be surprised when someone starts reeling off verses by Dulce María Loynaz (1902–97), recipient of Spain’s coveted Miguel de Cervantes literary award; Eliseo Diego (1920–94), the poet’s poet, whose words give wings to the human spirit; or singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez, who is a good guitar player, but a great poet.
In literature, as in poetry, the Cuban bibliography is awe-inspiring. Novelist Alejo Carpentier (1904–80) was another exiled writer, returning after the Revolution to write El Recurso del Método (Reasons of State) and Concierto Barroco, both published in 1974. The latter is considered his masterpiece. Havana fans will want to check out his Ciudad de las Columnas (The City of Columns; 1970), which juxtaposes B&W photographs of the city’s architectural details with insightful prose.
Paradiso by José Lezama Lima (1910–76) was a ‘scandalous novel’ when it appeared in 1966 because of its erotic (homosexual) scenes. Now it’s considered a classic. Lezama was a poet and essayist who cofounded the influential magazine Orígenes in 1944.
Notable writers who left Cuba after the Revolution include playwright Reinaldo Arenas (1943–90), whose autobiography Antes que Anochezca (Before Night Falls; 1992) was made into a critically acclaimed drama for the silver screen; and Guillermo Cabrera Infante (1929–2005), whose Tres Tristes Tigres (Three Trapped Tigers; 1967) describes cultural decadence during the Batista era. Of course, Cuba’s most famous foreign writer-in-residence was Ernest Hemingway, who wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls in the Hotel Ambos Mundos in Havana Click here.
Cinema & Television
Cubans are crazy about cinema and this passion is reflected in the plethora of movie houses that exist in all but the smallest towns. Since 1959 the film industry has been run by the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (Icaic), headed by longtime film sage and former Havana University student, Alfredo Guevara. Guevara is widely recognized, along with other influential filmmakers such as Tomás Gutiérrez Alea (1928–96), as putting cutting-edge Cuban cinema on the international map. Indeed, for years cinema has led the way in cultural experimentation and innovation on the island, exploring themes such as homosexuality, misogyny and bureaucratic paranoia that are generally considered taboo in other parts