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Havana: A Subtropical Delirium

von Mark Kurlansky

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"Award-winning author Mark Kurlansky presents an insider's view of Havana: the elegant, tattered city he has come to know over more than thirty years. Part cultural history, part travelogue, with recipes, historic engravings, photographs, and Kurlansky's own pen-and-ink drawings throughout, Havana celebrates the city's singular music, literature, baseball, and food; its five centuries of outstanding, neglected architecture; and its extraordinary blend of cultures. Like all great cities, Havana has a rich history that informs the vibrant place it is today--from the native Taino to Columbus's landing, from Cuba's status as a U.S. protectorate to Batista's dictatorship and Castro's revolution, from Soviet presence to the welcoming of capitalist tourism. Havana is a place of extremes: a beautifully restored colonial city whose cobblestone streets pass through areas that have not been painted or repaired since the revolution. Kurlansky shows Havana through the eyes of Cuban writers, such as Alejo Carpentier and José Martí, and foreigners, including Graham Greene and Hemingway. He introduces us to Cuban baseball and its highly opinionated fans; the city's music scene, alive with the rhythm of Son; its culinary legacy. Once the only country Americans couldn't visit, Cuba is now opening to us, as is Havana, not only by plane or boat but also through Mark Kurlansky's multilayered and electrifying portrait of the long-elusive city"--… (mehr)
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Почему нет смысла посещать Варадеро и какой ингредиент настоящего мохито можно найти лишь на Кубе? Где гаванки ходят задом наперед и как провалился план ЦРУ по лишению Фиделя бороды? А также каково продолжение у шутки «Каковы три главных успеха Революции: здравоохранение, образование и спорт»? Эта свежая история Гаваны вовсе не попытка первым отметиться на новом перспективном туристическом направлении для США. Марк Курлански прекрасно знаком с городом, побывал в нем бессчетное количество раз. Уместные цитаты из знаковых литературных произведений (Х. Марти, Ф.-Г. Лорка, Э. Хемингуэй), легкоусвояемая история и география места, фирменный, полный сарказма юмор гаванцев, лингвистическая эквилибристика — не имея этой книги, покупать билеты на Остров свободы просто нельзя. Для нетерпеливых: в настоящий мохито добавляют мяту yerba buena, растущую только на острове. «Три главных провала: завтрак, обед и ужин».
  Den85 | Jan 3, 2024 |
Not bad, but exactly what you would expect. A lot of random stories thrown together in an entertaining way. Not entirely sure if I could say I learned much about the culture, city, or whatever, but that is the general tone of these nondescript and familiar books - more sitting down and chatting with a friend as opposed to actually learning. Entertaining enough, and makes one want to visit. ( )
  E_Morgan_Huhn | Apr 30, 2023 |
Breezy Reading

"Havana: A Subtropical Delirium" is a light and breezy book. On one hand, the book suffers from a lack of historic details and an excess of inane details. On the other hand, the book can be read in a few sittings and most of what it discusses rings true.

Having spent many years there, the author has a good feel for the city and an obvious love of it. This is perhaps somewhat blinding because there is almost no criticism of the current state of affairs. While Cuba is changing, it is still a country under intellectual embargo. Critics are silenced and jailed. Free thinkers outside of the Communist Party of Cuba and its allies are discouraged. There is hardly any mention of this or the ways in which citizens in the city skirt official controls.

Two details that are overplayed appear to be two loves of Kurlansky: food and Hemingway. The descriptions of food, drinks, restaurants, and bars are too much. It's obviously something Kurlansky enjoys and there surely are many hang-outs in Havana, but the inclusion of no fewer than for recipes in this type of book is out of place. In addition, the hammering away at the various bars and clubs of Havana seems overdone considering their heyday has passed and is of interest primarily to tourists. As far as Hemingway goes, there is surely a place for him in Havana, but "A Subtropical Delirium" goes out of its way to present Hemingway as a larger than life figure who dominates the thoughts of Cuban politicians and taxi drivers alike. The focus on food and Hemingway gives the impression that Kurlansky pines for "the good old days" when Havana was a mysterious and seedy tourist destination that he could describe with his extended film noir metaphor.

Kurlansky does a good job offering original Spanish quotes to the many, many literary references he makes. While some of the original Spanish text is missing from the beginning-of-the-chapter quotes, most is there and that adds to the overall flavor book.

Additionally, Kurlanksy offers an enjoyable and easily understandable history of the city, from its attempted foundings to its growth around the bay. It is a straightforward history and the author admits when details are sketchy. There are details about a series of raids on the city, pirates, and the eventual decision to make Havana a hub for commercial activity flowing toward Europe from the region.

The author's descriptions of race relations and status ring very true. He describes a terrible slave-owning society that allows traditional African beliefs to flourish because the owners encourage tribalism as a way to preemptively suppress freedom movements by slaves who might otherwise join together. The racism in colonial society gives way to a more fluid idea of race, which was particularly promoted after the rise of Castro.

As a whole, the book remains light and is a good introduction for casual readers (like me) who want more than a tourist book but don't have the time to study entire theses on the city. ( )
  mvblair | Aug 8, 2020 |
This little book is an entertaining travelogue. I'd like to learn more about Cuba, not least because of this remark from the acknowledgements:

"My first thank you goes to the people of Havana who for almost thirty-five years showed me nothing but warmth, humor, and hospitality while my country was trying to starve them." ( )
  cwcoxjr | Sep 5, 2019 |
A fascinating history of the city. The author does a fantastic job of telling facts without editorializing. It also helps that he has a lot of experience in the city, and loves it.
It certainly makes the reader want to visit. ( )
  zmagic69 | Apr 22, 2018 |
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"Award-winning author Mark Kurlansky presents an insider's view of Havana: the elegant, tattered city he has come to know over more than thirty years. Part cultural history, part travelogue, with recipes, historic engravings, photographs, and Kurlansky's own pen-and-ink drawings throughout, Havana celebrates the city's singular music, literature, baseball, and food; its five centuries of outstanding, neglected architecture; and its extraordinary blend of cultures. Like all great cities, Havana has a rich history that informs the vibrant place it is today--from the native Taino to Columbus's landing, from Cuba's status as a U.S. protectorate to Batista's dictatorship and Castro's revolution, from Soviet presence to the welcoming of capitalist tourism. Havana is a place of extremes: a beautifully restored colonial city whose cobblestone streets pass through areas that have not been painted or repaired since the revolution. Kurlansky shows Havana through the eyes of Cuban writers, such as Alejo Carpentier and José Martí, and foreigners, including Graham Greene and Hemingway. He introduces us to Cuban baseball and its highly opinionated fans; the city's music scene, alive with the rhythm of Son; its culinary legacy. Once the only country Americans couldn't visit, Cuba is now opening to us, as is Havana, not only by plane or boat but also through Mark Kurlansky's multilayered and electrifying portrait of the long-elusive city"--

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