Palgrave Essential Histories Series / The History of Havana

Introduction: Un tipo muy popular Key to the Indies The Hour of the Mameys Paris of the Antilles Cecilia, Cabildos, and Contradance Stirrings of Nationhood Revolutions and Retributions: From the Teatro Villanueva to the Maine Many Happy Returns?: U.S. Occupation and Its Aftermath Symbol of an Era: Alberto Yarini y Ponce de León Catch a Ford on the Malecón: Republican Havana's Growth and Decay The Battle of Havana, 1933-35 Radio Days City Lights: The Fabulous Fifties Havana in Revolution Revolution with Pachanga: Havana Transfigured Russian Meat, Miami Butterflies, and Other Unexpected Adventures The Blackout: Havana in the 'Special Period' and Beyond

DICK CLUSTERis the author of the novels Return to Sender, Repulse Monkey, and Obligations of the Bone. He is a translator of Cuban literature and teaches courses on Cuban history, culture, and politics at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, USA, as well as interdisciplinary courses in other fields. Previous nonfiction books include They Should Have That Cup of Coffee, about U.S. radical movements of the a60s and a70s, and Shrinking Dollars, Vanishing Jobs, about the U.S. economy. RAFAEL HERNANDEZ is the editor of Temas, a Cuban quarterly in the

"Serious but easily readable. History of Havana employs conventional documentary, written and visual sources and a variety of testimonials from throughout the world to bring to life the complex portraits and challenges of contemporary Havana - a historical crossroad of the New World, a stage of scenic architecture, rhythmic sound-scapes, remarkable artistic genius, foreign invasions, struggles for personal and national freedom and independence - today a vibrant, complex world-renowned city, in a new global moment, creating its future in the throes of the fall of the Soviet Union, the lure and hooks of tourism, natural disasters, and the challenges of Empire." - Harry Belafonte, Singer, Actor, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador

"What a wonderful read! Dick Cluster and Rafael Hernandez' stories read like late night conversations on a dark, humid Havana terrace: marvelous, sly and frequently incredible. And that's the real kick, because they're meticulously researched, smoothly well-chosen and arranged. This is a history that feels more like literature: palpable, personal, full of secrets revealed and the occasional, and necessary, melancholia." - Achy Obejas, author of Days of Awe

"Gorgeous, feisty, savvy, cosmopolitan, sexy, defiant and yes, at times decadent and decaying, yet always resilient and ribald, battered repeatedly but never beaten - the city of Havana, where everyone deserves to have been born, is the star of this loving, gritty history. The authors lead the reader from Columbus_ stumbling into Cuba in his quest for the Orient in the fifteenth century to our own decade. They tell the story of Havana_s people, their physical space, their welcoming and unwelcome encounters with foreigners, and their capacity for re-invention. It_s a great read." - Jorge I. Domínguez, Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University

"This riveting and highly readable historical document is bittersweet. 'Bitter' in that throughout the history of Havana,