Irina Echarry’s Diary

Permission to Leave Cuba (Part 2)

When the Cuban woman visited the Venezuelan consulate in Havana for the second time, it wasn’t at the same address as when she first went there, which was an indication of how much time had lapsed between the two visits.

Havana, City of Smoke

Havana looks like a city of smoke. Those of us with allergies or asthma are confronted with a tremendous dilemma: whether to leave town or stay despite the diseases. Leaving the city isn’t so easy, and even if it were, where would we go to save ourselves?

What Was Ahmadinejad Doing in Cuba?

Ahmadinejad arrived in Cuba making the “V” for victory gesture and smiling. Maybe he was pleased about having so many political prisoners, or condemning to hanging or stoning of so many homosexuals, converts to Christianity, and thousands of women for even been accused of infidelity.

Cigar Factory Readings in Cuba

I was going through adolescence when I became interested in the job of people who would read to workers in cigar factories as they rolled tobacco.
I had fallen into the net of passion for books and became convinced that it would be the best job anyone could have: spending the whole day reading…and getting paid for it.

Getting to Know Maite Vera

The director Kristina Konrad shows us Cuban soap opera writer Maite Vera in her everyday life: at the corner store, talking with neighbors in her building, on the set of a film, in the company of visiting friends and family members.

Elena, a Poet from Cuba

Like many poets of her generation, Elena lived in exile, where she continued a work begun in Cuba. Yet she never lost a connection with her country of birth; that she always wore on her back.

A Modern Goldsmith and Frankenstein

A few days ago while walking down Obispo Street, near the Plaza de Armas, I decided to go in the “Goldsmith Museum.” Its windows had always caught my attention, but I had never stopped for a tour. Of course I know why: I don’t care much for jewelry.

Old Letters

“There’s nothing more delightful than rummaging through drawers, you can find anything,” said my aunt. And it was true.

Alexis Has a Problem

Alexis, my friend for much more than a decade, is 36 and has always lived with his grandmother in her house. But his grandmother has a son (not Alexis’ father), who in turn has a wife and two children; in addition, his grandmother has a husband, Arcadio.