Cuba in Mind: An Anthology

by Maria Finn (Editor)

Since Columbus arrived in 1492 and called Cuba “the most beautiful country that human eyes have ever seen,” few places on earth have evoked such passion. The thirty-one writers in Cuba in Mind offer ample proof of the fascinations that have lured generations of travelers.

In this richly varied anthology of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, we hear from such famous visitors as Anthony Trollope, Langston Hughes, Ernest Hemingway, and Graham Greene. Poets and journalists offer their responses, from Allen Ginsberg and Jayne Cortez to Alma Guillermoprieto and Robert Stone; and novelists weigh in with such fictional portrayals as Elmore Leonard’s Cuba Libre and Pico Iyer’s Cuba and the Night. Cuban exiles, immigrants, and their offspring provide their unique perspective, from Cristina García’s essay “Simple Life” to excerpts from Oscar Hijuelos’s novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love and from Carlos Eire’s memoir Waiting for Snow in Havana. Embracing salsa and santeria, politics and baseball, the island’s sparkling beaches and the teeming Havana streets, Cuba in Mind captures the vibrancy, the contradictions, the heat and the humor of Cuba as shown by some of the best writers in the English language.

Contributors:
Thomas Barbour • José Barreiro • Ruth Behar • William Cullen Bryant • Jayne Cortez • Stephen Crane • Andrei Codrescu • Eleanor Early • Carlos Eire • Kimi Eisele • Cristina García • Allen Ginsberg • Graham Greene • Alma Guillermoprieto • Elizabeth Hanly • Ernest Hemingway • Consuelo Hermer • Oscar Hijuelos • Langston Hughes • Pico Iyer • Elmore Leonard • Rosa Lowinger • Marjorie May • Tom Miller • Holly Morris • Ricardo Pau-Llosa • Robert Stone • Jim Shepard • Isadora Tattlin • Anthony Trollope • Walter D. Wilcox


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[R.C.A. Nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took this book on a recent month long visit to Cuba and wish I had read it before I left. Even so, a very fascinating overview of what authors have written about Cuba over the past 150 years. I was most surprised that observations written twenty, thirty, fifty years ago remain largely valid today, as if Cuba has existed in a form of suspended animation for decades. I believe that is about to change dramatically. The editor deliberately, and somewhat bravely, chose topics that she must have known would not excite everyone's interest. I confess to skipping a few. But overall, the mix is strong and challenging. This anthology also helped me discover some very strong writers whose works I will seek out. So, thank you Cuba. Thank you Maria Finn!

[Rachel G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little collection of Cuba short stories and excerpts from novels. There are parts that make you feel like you're there.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

great introduction to Cuba in preparation for December visit.

[David W. Berner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to Cuba in 2017. This was a must read. Sharply compiled. Essential if you are a Cuba-phile.