Havana without Makeup is the ultimate insider's view of Havana, a wide-ranging exploration of its complex facets as seen by few. Its aim is to capture the soul of a city and a society that have evolved on their own terms at the moment before they face inevitable transformations.
Opening on the eve of the announcement of reconciliation between the U.S. and Cuba, the book then looks back at the cultural, political, economic, and religious influences that led up to this historic moment and beyond. Readers are led by a brilliant renaissance man and writer who has been at the vanguard of the city's struggles for more than twenty years. Portocarero's anti-tourist guide to Havana examines the built environment of "the most sensual ruin on the planet?: why are large parts of the city so neglected, and what changes may we see over the coming years? Examining all things Cubania--racial issues, la revolución, baseball, Hemingway, communism, synagogues, Santeria, Cimarron culture, and much more--Portocarero overturns every stone in his endeavor to bring us inside the city he loves.
Illustrated with original photographs, this is a unique and essential account of Havana's history, its present, and what its future may hold.
Herman Portocarero is a Belgian-born writer and diplomat of Spanish and Portuguese descent. He has published more than twenty works of fiction and nonfiction, including the Hercule Poirot Prize-winning crime novel New Yorkse Nachten (New York Nights). He is presently the European Union ambassador to Cuba.
Autorentext
Thanks to his professional trajectory, he has been familiar with the region since the 1980s and with Cuba since 1995. He has unparalleled knowledge and understanding of Cuban history, politics, and society, and of the relationship between Cuba, the Caribbean, and the United States.
Portocarero has published over twenty works of fiction and nonfiction in Europe. He authored the libretto for the oratorio Flamma Flamma by composer Nicholas Lens (available on Sony Masterworks), a monumental work popular with audiences of neo-classical music. He is also a gifted public speaker, and was one of the pioneers to launch TED talks in Havana in 2014.
His Havana without Makeup is the crowning achievement of a career in writing pursued in parallel with his diplomatic activities. He mixes narrative skills and a novelist's feeling for people and places, with tireless searches for the truth behind the façade. Applied to Havana, a city he acknowledges to be in love with, this results in a kaleidoscopic visit full of unexpected angles and insights.
Inhalt
1. Walls of Illusion 3
2. Exceptional 6
3. Nocturnas (Havana-By-Night) 7
4. Afro Cuba 10
5. Havana in Black and White 12
6. Rumba 13
7. Santeria 14
8. Santeria and the Racial Divide 15
9. Communist Orishas? 16
10. Salsa! 19
11. Asia de Cuba 20
12. 'Achinado' 22
13. Sex & Cenesex 23
14. Tremenda Mariconada! 25
15. Havana's Hour Zero 26
16. Proposal for a Controversial Monument 27
17. Good Money, Bad Money 29
18. The Economy as a Book and a Beast 30
19. Looking West - To Asia Again 32
20. La Mula Como Vaca De Leche 34
21. La Libreta 35
22. El Canonazo 37
23. The Last Salvo 39
24. A Defining Moment 40
25. It Takes (At Least) Two to Rumba 42
26. Sitting Down (And More) With Europe 44
27. Cuba No Soy (I Am Not Cuba) 47
28. Trafic Lights of History 48
29. Ghosts of Revolutions Past 50
30. Much Louder Ghosts 52
31. Napoleon in Cuba 53
32. The Orestes Ferrara Secret 55
33. The Cave at the End of the World 57
34. Conversation in Café del Oriente 60
35. Palacio de la Revolucion 63
36. Who's the Terrorist? 64
37. Parque Lenin 66
38. Playas del este 67
39. Jardines de la Tropical 69
40. Two Shores of Art Deco 70
41. Rum and Cigar Wars 71
42. Waves Over the Walls 72
43. Patria es Humanidad es Patria 75
44. Havana's Palestinians 76
45. Next Year in Havana / Jerusalem 78
46. Cantos de Ida y Vuelta 81
47. Mulatas de Rumba & Puellae Gaditanae 84
48. Alma Mater 85
49. God's Crocodile 88
50. La Fabrica 90
51. Mercenaries 91
52. Bloggers Breakfast 93
53. Primero de Mayo 94
54. The Pen & the Sword 96
55. Prima Ballerina Assoluta 100
56. Le Parisien 102
57. Hatuey & Huracan 103
58. Todo el Mundo Canta 105
59. Who's the Boss? 107
60. The Holy Spirit on the Plaza de la Revolucion 108
61. Winners and Losers 109
62. Jacobins & Dinosaurs 110
63. Other Churches, Other Gods 111
64. Misionero de la Misericordia 113
65. Mozart in Havana 115
66. Art & Politics 116
67. Pelota 117
68. The United Mobsters 120
69. Una Mal Criada 122
70. Hollywood Havana 123
71. Pirates of all Kinds 125
72. Elian 128
73. New York Connections 130
74. Music has no enemies? 131
75. El Paquete 133
76. Hemingway 134
77. Fuster 136
78. The Last Cimmaron 137
79. Fabelo 139
80. KCHO/STAINLESS/CUTY 140
81. Casa Verde 142
82. Rio Almendares 145
83. Havana and the Chocolate Factory 145
84. Tallapiedra (Havana High Line) 146
85. Radio Reloj & Radio Bemba 148
86. La Muerte 149
87. Apotheosis 150