Burnt Sugar Cana Quemada: Contemporary Cuban Poetry in English and Spanish

Being a big fan of Oscar Hijuelo's works and having the occasion to meet him a few times while I worked at a camera store in New York, I brought my wife and mother in law (both Cuban) to a reading and book-signing at R.J. Julia in Madison,CT. As we reacquaninted one another and settled in, one of the poems was read aloud by Lori Carlson. Tears and nods of happiness came to both of their faces as Lizette Mendez's "Secretos" was read, with it's simple yet beautiful references that any Cuban can idenify with. Mind you,Lori read this in it's hybrid english-spanish mix. The poetry that is presented in Spanish (also translated to English, except for 4) is even more profound and beautiful upon reading them. This collection is simply wonderful,giving the reader a better sense of what incredible talent abides in that island. While you have the yearnings for one's homeland and how one deals with daily life ( "I have always lived in Cuba", for one ) there are also poems of love and passion ("Loving you is a way of being ")and other topics, all in the context of coming from a proud, glorious people that we getting a chance to better observe and understand. Kudos to Oscar Hijuelos for going to visit his family and coming back with these wonderful works and kudos plus to Lori Carlson for her wonderful and thoughtful translations of these works to English. The fact that the translations stand along as great prose in English serves notice that this work is one that every person interested in Cuba & it's arts should pick up.