A literary spring reaches Guantánamo

The Havana International Book Fair has reached Cuba’s far eastern end, bringing its 34th edition to Guantánamo in what Granma describes as a literary spring spreading from the capital across the island.

This year’s event salutes the centenary of Fidel Castro, four decades of the Hermanos Saíz Association and the 80th birthday of Alejandro Hartman, the Baracoa researcher, historian and writer whom Guantánamo recognizes as a guardian of its historical memory and heritage.

Hartman’s nearly half-century of work defending those values also earned him the Cemí de Gran Tierra, a symbol of Cuba’s easternmost territory. The provincial government presented the distinction during the event’s opening gala on Friday.

In the Alto Oriente region, readers are gathering at Calixto García Street, the fair’s main venue, as well as the Ateneo Asdrúbal López bookstore, La Fama literary café and the Cochero Azul children’s pavilion. The shelves feature recently published works, many issued by the El Mar y la Montaña publishing house and written by local authors.

Among the books available are Pedro Pablo Rodríguez’s La primera invasión, which examines the Alto Oriente’s role in the 1868 independence campaign; Lisett Camargo’s Monólogo Interior; and Carlos Esquivel’s La isla imposible y otras mujeres. Children’s offerings include Sueños con Ángeles by Ana Luz García Calzada and La luna de enero, a collection of more than 70 poems about childhood compiled by Raúl Fraguela. The program also includes conversations, workshops and colloquiums on the region’s history, culture and literature.