In his autobiography, published in 1992 after he had. He loved the sea and in his twenties became an expert swimmer. But his fortunes improved somewhat when farewell to the sea, a novel that he wrote in prison and then rewrote after it had. Although it is the penultimate installment in his secret history of cuba, it was, in fact, the last book arenas wrote before his death in 1990. Read reinaldo arenas from the story why are we fascinated with cuba. It had to be written three times, the first in 1969, when it was destroyed by a friend who was supposed to be hiding it away, chapter by chapter, as reinaldo wrote it. As a teenager arenas joined the revolution that brought fidel castro to power in 1959. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. Singing from the well, farewell to the sea, palace of the white skunks, color of summer, and the. Reinaldo arenas was born in holguin, cuba, in 1941. The recipient of a cintas and a guggenheim fellowship, he is the author of ten novels, including farewell to the sea, hallucinations, and the graveyard of the angels.
Confessions of a cuban boy, havana bay, before night fall. Remembering reinaldo the exiled literary giant longed. It was subtitled by its author the secret history of cuba. Born and raised in the era of the cuban revolution, arenas joined castros revolutionary rebellion group as a teenager, but went against the regime after they began prosecuting homosexuals. Arenas recounts a stunning odyssey from his povertystricken childhood in rural cuba and his adolescence as a rebel fighting for castro, through his supression as a writer, imprisonment as a homosexual, his flight from cuba. In this brilliant, apocalyptic vision of castros cuba, we meet a young couple who leave the dreariness of havana and spend six days at a small seaside retreat, where they hope to recapture the desire and carefree spirit that once united them. Pdf the silent world of reinaldo arenass novels researchgate. Cite four examples of the way in which reinaldo arenas develops in his memoir before night falls. Reinaldo arenas, writers in exile, and a visit to the havana of 1987. Reinaldo arenas, before night falls penguin, 1993 arenas memoir of life in cuba has recently been made into one of the finest films extant by julian schnabel. Reinaldo arenas july 16, 1943 december 7, 1990 was a cuban poet, novelist, and. It is the book you would give someone who had never seen the ocean, if you wanted them to understand what it feels like to be near, to be in and to be surrounded by the sea. Farewell to the sea is set, like the previous novel, on the eve of an anticipated triumph that will produce unmitigated disaster.
A disillusioned young poet retreats to a beach resort with his family to ponder both his countrys future and his own sexual ambiguity. Reviewing the book in the new york times, jay cantor wrote. Farewell to the sea has the deepest, most prolix relationship with the ocean of any book ive ever seen. Reinaldo arenas biography childhood, life achievements. Arenas settled in new york where he lived until his death from aids ten years later. Reinaldo arenas, writers in exile, and the havana of 1987. A novel of cuba pentagonia by reinaldo arenas, andrew hurley, et al. Reinaldo arenas, a writer and poet, spent several years in prison during fidel castros regime in cuba. While this novel is set outside of cuba, and therefore breaks the rules somewhat, it captures the passion, the music, the dance and the rebellious spirit of the cuban people it is a pulitzer prizewinning novel, written by a cuban expatriate about the life of cuban immigrants in new york and has plenty to teach a reader about the cuban way of. The novel is completely divided, one might say severed, into two parts. Once again, the sea by reinaldo arenas librarything.
The paper focuses on the life and poetics of cuban writer reinaldo arenas. Farewell to the sea by reinaldo arenas, 9780140066364, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. He also published numerous books of short stories and poetry, and a memoir, before night falls. The color of summer, arenass finest comic achievement, is also the fulfillment of his lifes work, the pentagonia, a fivevolume cycle of novels he began writing in his early twenties. Farewell to the sea places arenas in the company of faulkner and virginia woolf, but he still manages to forge a niche of his own that is remarkable, stunning and thoroughly rewarding. Psychological portrait of contemporary life in castros cuba, full of shattered hopes and agonizing realities generated by the revolution. Hector, his wife and baby vacation for six days at a small seaside cabin. Reinaldo arenas july 16, 1943 december 7, 1990 was a cuban poet, novelist, and playwright known as an early sympathizer, and later critic of fidel castro and the cuban revolution, and a rebel of the cuban government. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. He left the biblioteca nacional and became an editor for the cuban book. In 1980, he was one of 120,000 cubans who arrived in the united states on the mariel boatlift. Through the use of fiction, arenas offers a testimony of the oppression he suffered in cuba during the sixties and the.
Through his long years of suffering in cuba, arenas had dreamed of escape, of leaving behind that land of horrors and at last living in freedom. His extraordinary novels, flush with magical realism and sensual detail, won several prestigious awards abroad. The pentagonia is the collective title of a series of five novels by cuban author reinaldo arenas. The palace of the white skunks by reinaldo arenas is a novel that is filled with. Reinaldo arenas july 16, 1943 december 7, 1990 was a cuban poet, novelist, and playwright known as an early sympathizer, and later critic of fidel castro and the. It was marvelous to dive in and behold the underwater world. Farewell to the sea is a 1987 book and the third in cuban author reinaldo arenas pentagonia. The paper focuses on the life and poetics of cuban writer reinaldo arenas, an important representative of cuban gay literature, who, due to his sexual orientation and eventual opposition to the. Fidels trumpeted goal, for 1970, of the tenmillion ton harvest.
Reinaldo arenas, born july 16, 1943, holguin, oriente, cubadied dec. The paper focuses on the life and poetics of cuban writer reinaldo arenas, an important. Cuba share book recommendations with your friends, join. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Farewell to the sea is a 1987 book and the third in cuban author reinaldo arenas pentagonia book series, which critics have often argued as his best set on a cuban beach immediately following the revolution, a disenchanted poet mourns for the new suppression while his wife longs for the connectivity that she can no longer find. Download this book presents an indepth analysis of reinaldo arenass pentagony, which includes the novels singing from the well, the palace of the white skunks, farewell to the sea, the color of summer, and the assault. The island platform surrounding cuba is a world of rock and coral, white, golden, and unique. Remembering reinaldo the exiled literary giant longed for a free cuba. After much fanfare, hoohahing, and throat clearing on the previous incarnations of my blog, i am now posting the list of our familys tony, alison, caitlin, eli and i top 100 books. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app.
Arenas is not interested in ordinary realistic drama. Arenas said he was branded a social misfit in cuba because of his homosexuality. Caitlin, eli and i came up with the idea one time last fall when we were talking about top thisorthat book lists. Twenty years have passed since the publication of before night falls, reinaldo arenass tale of his years in cuba under the castro regime and his life in exile in the u. Farewell to the sea pentagonia, book 3 by reinaldo arenas. Young juan, a refugee from cuba, is the doorman of a manhattan apartment househome to a disappointed and eclectic group of men and women, and to their even more unhappy pets. But his fortunes improved somewhat when farewell to the sea, a novel that he wrote in prison and then rewrote after it. In these novels arenas style ranges from a stark realist narrative and high. Woke up at nearly ten fortyfive this morning after a. He spent time in a labor camp, cutting sugar cane, and was imprisoned from 1974 to 1976 after he was accused of being a counterrevolutionary. His fiction includes his autobiography before night falls and farewell to the sea. Remembering reinaldo the exiled literary giant longed for a. In this brilliant, apocalyptic vision of castros cuba, we meet a young couple who.
The novels were written from the mid1960s through the late 1980s, and indeed, as was recounted in arenas autobiography before night falls, were rewritten many times as manuscripts were lost, destroyed andor confiscated by cuban. The third volume, farewell to the sea, is arguably reinaldos finest novelistic achievement within the pentagonia. In this brilliant, apocalyptic vision of castros cuba, we meet. The third volume, farewell to the sea, is arguably reinaldo s finest novelistic achievement within the pentagonia. One of the most talented and prolific writers to emerge during. The old man and the sea, skeleton key, waiting for snow in havana. Despite the hardships imposed during his imprisonment, arenas produced a significant body of work, including his pentagonia, a set of five novels written between the 1960s and 1980s that comprise a secret history of postrevolutionary cuba. Cuban writer viciously oppressed in his native cuba for both his literary attacks on fidel castros revolution and his open homosexuality, reinaldo arenas became a literary star by smuggling his books overseas. A novel of cuba pentagonia new edition by arenas, reinaldo isbn. Released in 1976, he drifted, sometimes staying with friends, and wrote his novel farewell to the sea for the third time. Dec 26, 2000 remembering reinaldo the exiled literary giant longed for a free cuba. Reinaldo arenas july 16, 1943 december 7, 1990 was a cuban poet, novelist, and playwright who despite his early sympathy for fidel castro and the 1959 revolution, grew critical of and then rebelled against the cuban government. The palace of the white skunks is the second novel of a five book sequence. Mar 04, 2014 reinaldo arenas, writers in exile, and a visit to the havana of 1987.
Arenas recounts a stunning odyssey from his povertystricken childhood in rural cuba and his adolescence as a rebel fighting for castro, through his supression as a. Nov 29, 1985 farewell to the sea has the deepest, most prolix relationship with the ocean of any book ive ever seen. Twice confiscated by cuban authorities and rewritten from memory, this litany of despairthe story of life in totalitarian cuba is told through the voice of a wife who remains nameless, then through that of her husband, hector, a disenchanted revolutionary and poet. Arenas posthumous book, it would be insufficient to explain the enthusiasm of the. Dec 19, 20 in before night falls, arenas writes about his terrible suffering but he also describes moments of great happiness. Online shopping from a great selection at books store.