Bridges to Cuba/Puentes a Cuba

For fifty-five years U.S.-Cuban relations were couched in terms of the Cold War, often pitting Cubans in the diaspora against Cubans who remained in their homeland. This collection of Cuban and Cuban-American writing and art celebrates the informal networks that Cubans in both countries have maintained through artistic, academic, family, and other ties. This book brings together for the first time in English Cuban voices of the second generation, both on the island and in the diaspora. The multivocal and multigenre collection includes both scholarly and creative writing and an impressive range of visual art. Bridges to Cuba/Puentes a Cuba opens a window onto the meaning of nationality, transnationalism, and homeland in our time.

“Essential reading for Cuba-watchers who want to go beyond traditional social science research to appreciate the extraordinary cultural talents of Cubans.”—Latin American Research Review""A vital and interesting anthology about contemporary Cuba.""—Oscar Hijuelos, author of The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love""Looks at Cuban creativity from an integrated perspective, refusing to kneel before the painful and often arbitrary divisions that have split the voices of this passionate culture into forever separate bands. The results are magnificent. Read this book and get a long overdue understanding of contemporary Cuban literature and art.""—Margaret Randall, author of Women in Cuba: Twenty Years Later""In order for memory to be recovered, there must be a community that remembers and tells the story...Bridges to Cuba displays a wealth of insights that leave the reader with a sense of having experienced firsthand the intricate web of thought and feeling that is Cuban life.""—Latino Review of Books“Unquestionably one of the most suggestive and imaginative anthologies of Cuban voices published in English in recent years. By bringing together personal essays, poetry, fiction, historical writings, and art, this collection is able to illuminate both the Cuban diaspora and cultural and political debates on the island.”—Arcadio Díaz-Quiñones, Princeton University

Ruth Behar is the Victor Haim Perera Collegiate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan, USA and author of numerous books.