The Sleepwalkers' Ballad

About the Book

This story of love, idealism, courage and betrayals takes place against the turmoil of the end of Batista’s government and first three years of Castro’s. Besides the real-life characters of Batista, Castro and “Che” Guevara, the Revolution itself is an important “character,” making this work both a screenplay and a presentation of documented historical facts.

Riveting parts of this story include the attack on the Presidential Palace; the guerrilla presence in La Sierra; Castro´s victory; the Agrarian, Monetary, and Housing Reforms; the government takeover of all banks and private businesses; the emergence of a strong underground movement; and the Bay of Pigs Invasion, with the often glossed-over involvement of President Kennedy.

Much of the story is presented through unbiased dialogue and dramatizations of actual events. Two real-life characters, Echeverría and Manolín Guillot—who became significant figures in Cuban history—exemplify the struggle for freedom and justice against both regimes.

Parallel to the socio-political drama is the development of the love story between the two protagonists, María and Alfredo. Alfredo believes in Castro’s promises of a just Revolution and joins Castro in La Sierra, rising to the rank of Comandante. Disenchanted as he witnesses Castro’s dictatorial behavior once in power, e.g., appointing himself Prime Minister, removing President Urrutia from office, and betraying the promises of a just Agrarian Reform, Alfredo and María once again join an underground movement, now against Castro, with Manolín Guillot functioning as Chief of Intelligence of the MRR, the strongest anti-Castro movement in the Island.

After the failure of the invasion, Alfredo makes an unsuccessful attempt on Castro’s life. Immediately imprisoned, Alfredo is submitted to endless tortures and humiliations, but he never reveals the identity of “Carlos” (one of the noms de guerre of Manolín Guillot).

At the end, a fascinating confrontation between the tyrant, Fidel Castro, and the idealistic Alfredo, reveals the strengths and flaws of two very different human beings.

About the Author

Yolanda Ortal Miranda was born in Encrucijada, Las Villas, Cuba. She has a Doctorate in Philosophy and Letters from the University of Havana. She is a Professor Emeritus of the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, having fully enjoyed her career there as a professor of Spanish and Latin American Literature. She was Chair of the Foreign Languages Department until she retired in order to dedicate more time to writing. She founded CafÌ© Teatro, where she directed Lorca‰*ªs three tragedies, her own one-act version of Balada SonÌÁmbula, and Un punto que se pierde en la distancia, a finalist in Letras de Oro. Her novel, En Noches sin Luna, won first prize in the literary contest sponsored by the Association of Critics and Commentators of the Arts, Miami, Florida. Her poetry and short stories, in Spanish, have appeared in national and international magazines and anthologies. Her essay, ‰*ÏThe Element of Time in Three Novels by Alejo Carpentier,‰** was awarded second prize by CEPI (New York). Her collection of poems, ‰*ÏPisadas en El Tiempo, La Angustia y La Esperanza,‰** was a finalist in the literary contests of the City of Barcelona, Spain, and CEPI, in New York. Her passion for travelling has brought her to South America, Mexico, Europe and China. She loves nature, whether it be the YumurÌ* and Vi̱ales Valleys or the forest of Soroa in Cuba; the majestic Grand Canyon, the West Coast and Alaska in the United States, the Norwegian fiords, or Guilin and the Li river in China.