The History of Havana
Cluster, Dick
Hernandez, Rafael
Hardcover
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BOOK SUMMARY
This is the first comprehensive history of the culturally diverse city, and the first to be co-authored by a Cuban and an American. Beginning with the founding of Havana in 1519, Cluster and Hernández explore the making of the city and its people through
BOOK SYNOPSIS
This is the first comprehensive history of the culturally diverse city, and the first to be co-authored by a Cuban and an American. Beginning with the founding of Havana in 1519, Cluster and Hernández explore the making of the city and its people through revolutions, art, economic development and the interplay of diverse societies. The authors bring together conflicting images of a city that melds cultures and influences to create an identity that is distinctly Cuban.
BOOK EXCERPTS
12 b/w
BOOK REVIEWS
"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. DomÃÂnguez, 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, weather, wars, and economic strangulation have forced this great city to periodically deteriorate. 'Sweet' in the seemingly infinite optimism and sense of humor of its citizens and even sweeter because the city will rise again and reclaim its proper place amongst the great urban centers of the world."--James Stewart Polshek, Architect "History of Havana by Rafael Hernández and Dick Cluster invites general readers to enter and experience modern-day Havana as the product of its past. They will find a city whose citizens developed and changed in moments of revelry and times of crisis, responding to local history and world history, and making history as well. This diverse population negotiated when possible, fought when required, and sought to imagine and sustain revolutionary visions and life-ways of new men and women."--Danny Glover, Actor and Activist
Submit a book reviewFOR RELATED BOOKS
History Books :: Caribbean & West Indies Books :: Cuba Books
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MORE BOOK INFO
ISBN: 1403971072
ISBN(13-digit): 9781403971074
Dewey Decimal: 972.91/23
Library of Congress: 2006045750
Book Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Language: ENG
No. of Pages: 300
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