Product Description

Banned in Cuba but celebrated throughout the Spanish-speaking world, this picaresque novel in stories chronicles the misadventures of Pedro Juan, a former Cuban journalist living from hand to mouth in the squalor of contemporary Havana, half disgusted and half fascinated by the depths to which he has sunk. Like the lives of so many of his neighbors in the crumbling, once-elegant apartment houses that line Havana's waterfront, Pedro Juan's days and nights have been reduced by the so-called special times -- the harsh recession that followed the Soviet Union's collapse -- to the struggle of surviving the daily grit through the escapist pursuit of sex. Pedro Juan scrapes by under the shadow of hunger -- all the while observing his lovers and friends, strangers on the street, and their suffering with an unsentimental, mocking, yet sympathetic eye.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28074 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 392 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The streetwise gutsiness of Bukowski and Miller pervades Cuban poet Guti rrez's raunchy, symbolic, semi-autobiographical debut novel of life in 1990s Havana. Although the title suggests a triptych, the work more closely resembles a mosaic of short stories bursting with vivid images of exhilaration, depravity, desire and isolation. Narrator Pedro Juan, middle-aged and fed up, has rejected his career as a journalist because "I always had to write as if stupid people were reading me." Resisting the mass exodus from Cuba of August 1994, Pedro Juan now wanders the streets of Havana like a footloose Bacchus, indulging himself with women, marijuana and rum. He survives through a series of menial jobs. His rooftop apartment in central Havana has a spectacular Caribbean view but is, like all dwellings in the decaying economy, frequently without water. Pedro Juan is imprisoned more than once for minor crimes; after one lengthy sentence, he returns home to discover that his lover has replaced him with another man. He eventually drifts back into the urban maelstrom. Prolific, explicit sex scenes reinforce the plight of the artist, and thus a society, limited to physical pleasures where life offers no intellectual or creative rewards. "It's been years since I expected anything, anything at all, of women, or of friends, or even of myself, of anyone." Guti rrez's talent lies in creating a macho, self-abusive protagonist who remains engagingly sympathetic. This searing, no-holds-barred portrait of modern Cuba, expertly translated by Wimmer into prose strong in the rhythms and vulgar beauty of the city, comes complete with a sexy jacket photo. It will attract readers who like their fiction down, dirty and literate. (Jan.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Pedro Juan GutiÉrrez is the author of several published works of poetry. He lives in Havana, where he devotes himself to writing and painting.

Customer Reviews

My Favorite book of all time
Having first heard of this book in of all places "Vibe" magazine , I thought it would be just another book about Castro, Che, and such. Much to my delight it was the final step in my living my life long dream of visiting Havana, Cuba. Having now gone to Havana twice I can see how the stories in this book can be or rather must be true. It showcases a man's struggle to find food, not only for the body but also for his soul, although the methods are at times not the greatest,nor always the right thing. Having talked to many people in my two trips to the island of Cuba, about the "Special Period" I find that Pedro's tales are just the tip of a shocking real life story.

A True Novel
No way Pedro could have made up all of these stories! I feel that this book has been deemed a novel simply because the identities of the Cuban involved have been protected.

I barely put this book down. I am surprised that Pedro still lives in Cuba after revealing so much about the troubled country. Even though the author turned many readers off with his sloppy sex scenes, racist comments, and general ragamuffin attitude, I was riveted. I can only hope that after writing the book and making some money, Pedro will no longer live off a staple of cigars and rum.

I am about to order a copy to send to my buddy who is stationed in Guantanamo Bay. I refuse to give up my copy. I am sure that I will read it again. Too bad it doesn't come with a map.

Some good insight to Cuba's "Special period"
In this book, Pedro Juan Gutierrez writes about his tyring times in Cuba in the early - mid 1990s. This is the period of recession right after the collapse of the Soviet Union that President Fidel Castro called the "Special period". There are also short tales about the struggles of others such as Pedro Juan's neighbors. Some may find his style of writing raunchy and offensive but in light of the pessimistic environment in which he lives, it is understandable. Pedro Juan (a former jounalist) now finds himself in a downward spiral having to come up with a plan every day on how to get food in his stomach or to just temporarily escape reality through drinking or promiscuous sexual encounters. He often hops from one odd job to another, sells black-market produce, befriends foreigners, begs, sells his body or anything else to get enough money to just get by with.

This book is no Shakespeare, that's for sure. However, the way it was written and the content of this book had me glued to it. I found myself several times late at night reading it, telling myself "OK....after this chapter, I'll stop".....but instead kept reading a few chapters more. I have travelled to Havana and other parts three times and have seen the desperate way of life of these truly beautiful people in that country. This book is written by someone who is living through this, not a foreigner.....so it really gives the reader a raw sense of life in Cuba. I recommend this book to anyone, but especially to those who plan to travel or have travelled to Cuba.