Author: Jorge Milanes

The first time I heard of Narcissus was in that book The Alchemist, by the Brazilian writer Paul Coelho. But as the painting before me had nothing to do with the story of Coello’s pilgrim, I concluded that it had to do with intertextuality, which is why I inquired about the myth that accounts for the great beauty of this young man.

I got a call from a friend whose oldest daughter had returned for a visit after having lived outside of Cuba for several years. She was happy to see her daughter, but that she was very concerned because the younger woman was afraid to go outside, especially by herself.

Not long ago my neighbor Robin, who has a lot in Havana’s Playa municipality, was cutting the tall grass and taking care of the rubble that had been dumped on his property. He plans to build a house there for his children.

If you’ve ever had the experience of finding yourself without a voice, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s a confounding sensation, like involuntary confinement behind bars that are invisible to the eyes of others.

Alberto Garrandes is a Cuban writer who has earned prestige at the national level and even in other countries. I met him years ago just minutes before he left on a bus to attend a book fair in Holguin, where he had been invited as a guest.

From when I was a child, I remember my father going off to participate in the sugar harvest at a time when the country was engrossed in the attempt to harvest no less than 10 million tons of sugar.

For a person who has never set foot outside of Cuba and for the first time they finally do, it’s very difficult to get over the psychological trauma caused by such a long time here with so many questions.

A friend of mine from back in senior high school (what we in Cuba call “pre-university”) had become very ill. Back in those early days we used to share tastes in the music of Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, to name just a few.

In the former home of the Cuban poet Dulce Maria Loynaz, now an institution which bears her name, I was amazed during my visit there a few days ago.

Robin is the driver for an important trade union leader. In our conversation we shared jokes and exchanged anecdotes. He even made a few confessions about his job that he’s had for three decades since he was eighteen.