Book Description

Little Havana Blues is a medley of voicesÑnarrators, essayists and poetsÑthat have come to forge a literary identity within the United States since their parents left Cuba to go into exile. However, this first comprehensive anthology of Cuban-American literature is not a symphony of the exile or immigrant generation and its letters. Instead, these writers are staking their claim on part of the American mosaic, with Pulitzer Prices and other awards in hand. But in their Americanization they are not rejecting their heritage or their Hispanic culture; rather they are Cubanizing, tropicalizing, expanding the realm of American culture and letters. Their vision is inclusive; their sources go deep into Anglo- and Hispano-European tradition and as deeply into Afro-Caribbean and mestizo culture, not to mention their love affair with popular culture and its icons. Included in Little Havana Blues are writers both established and burgeoning onto the literary scene: Pulitzer Prize winter Oscar Hijuelos, Rafael Compo, Gustavo PŽrez Firmat, Margarita Engle, Roberto Fern‡ndez, Dolores Prida, Jose Yglesias and many others. Accompanying the selections are an introduction and bibliography by the editors.