If you'd rather place an order by talking to one of our cheerful order desk clerks, please call 1-888-232-4444 (USA and Canada only) or 250-383-6864. From Europe, ring our UK order desk clerk at local rate number 0845 230 9601 (UK only) or 44 (0)1865 722 113.

Love in Castro's Land

by Florencio E. Eiranova-Cuza

369 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #05-3119; ISBN 1-4120-8122-x; US$24.99, C$28.74, EUR20.53, £14.37

Politicians and tourists, decent honest people, have a picture of Cuba. Those living, loving, enduring the system, have their picture too. Marcia, Jesus, and Hector want to tell you their intimate story and their hardships.

Read more!

About the Book

About the Author

Excerpts

Catalogue Information

About the Book

This novel is written by a man who lived and studied in Cuba. He also lived and studied in U.S.A. As a soldier and worker he enjoyed the American system; as a Professor in Cuba he endured the new regime. His novel describes the living and loving story of a revolutionary couple full of enthusiasm who become professionals, have their first baby and want to live and enjoy life like any humble decent couple.

They have no place to live, so they share Marcia's family home, space, rationing and everything else with a family of 8. Intimate relation is almost impossible. Whenever they get a room in a cheap hotel they can have sex by themselves. It doesn't happen very often. They can't even have lunch at the Hotel Hector designed and built as an engineer because they don't have dollars. Bureaucracy and small deficiencies; scarcity and lack of manners every where they go, don't agree with their revolutionary faith. Something must be done, but they are not allowed to give opinions. Hector looses faith in the process.

The child becomes a burden until the couple finds a friend, Jesus (who is an American citizen) who pushes through his "relations" to enter him in a nursery. Jesus establishes an honest frank relationship with the couple. Hector decides to swim to the American Naval Base and leave the country. He asks Jesus to care for his wife and child until he sends for them. Finally he convinces his friend to abandon the country and marry his wife to take her out of Cuba,

Marcia follows Hectors' instructions. The bureaucratic procedures push her toward Jesus in a dangerous manner. Time and distance; together with gentleness and chivalry on the part of Jesus create a very critical situation for the whole group.

---

About the Author

Florencio Eiranova was born in Santiago de Cuba on October 19/1932. He was only 4 years old when his father died of tuberculosis. He was taken to a little farm where an uncle of him worked as a little peasant. His first job was to guide the oxen by their nose ring during the plowing of the land. There was no school at the place, so his mother taught him the first words. When he was eight he was taken to REALENGO 18; a piece of land that used to belong to the Royalty and now was occupied by the peasants and free lancers. He suffered an accident at the age of nine and was incapacitated for six months.

When he was 10 years old he began to attend school officially. He studied hard and at 15 he entered the Scholl of Commerce where he graduated seven years later. He had to work during the day and attended school at night. In 1952 a military coup headed by Fulgencio Batista took place and a Dictatorship was established in the Country.

Eiranova joined the students who struggled against the dictatorship. He became President of the Commerce Student Association from 1954 to 1956. He was detained, judged, sent to prison and beaten like the rest of his comrades. In July 1956 he parted to the United States of America. He joined the Military Service and the struggle in his country took him by surprise while serving the U.S. Air Force. He finished his Military Service in 1960. He quit the Air Force after serving 4 years being a Sergeant, and returned to Cuba where he joined the Revolution and helped in voluntary work, militia and all activities that could impulse the process that was taking place in his country.

Eiranova couldn't keep up with the system, he had lived in the U.S.A. and his contradictions with the Communist regime were evident. He ended up going to jail for five years. He could abandon his country again in May 1988, and installed in Puerto Rico. Ever since he came, he has published articles, reports and books. He is an active member of the Independent Reporters of Puerto Rico and the Solidarity of Cuban Workers.

---

Excerpts

---

Catalogue Information

---