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Voluntad de Vivir Manifestándose by Reinaldo Arenas
Voluntad de Vivir Manifestándose by Reinaldo Arenas
Arenas
Description:
Arenas was born in the countryside, in the northern part of the Province of Oriente, Cuba, and
later moved to the city of Holgun. In 1963, he moved to Havana to enroll in the School of
Planification and, later, in the Faculty of Letters at the Universidad de La Habana, where he
studied philosophy and literature without completing a degree. The following year, he began
working at the Biblioteca Nacional Jos Mart. While there, his talent was noticed and he was
awarded prizes at Cirilo Villaverde National Competition held by UNEAC (National Union of Cuban
Writers and Artists). His Hallucinations was awarded "first Honorable Mention" in 1966 although,
as the judges could find no better entry, no First Prize was awarded that year.
His writings and openly gay lifestyle were, by 1967, bringing him into conflict with the Communist
government. He left the Biblioteca Nacional and became an editor for the Cuban Book Institute
until 1968. From 1968 to 1974 he was a journalist and editor for the literary magazine La Gaceta
de Cuba. In 1973, he was sent to prison after being charged and convicted of 'ideological
deviation' and for publishing abroad without official consent. He escaped from prison and tried to
leave Cuba by launching himself from the shore on a tire inner tube. The attempt failed and he
was rearrested near Lenin Park and imprisoned at the notorious El Morro Castle alongside
murderers and rapists. He survived by helping the inmates to write letters to wives and lovers. He
was able to collect enough paper this way to continue his writing. However, his attempts to
smuggle his work out of prison were discovered and he was severely punished. Threatened with
death, he was forced to renounce his work and was released in 1976. In 1980, as part of the
Mariel Boatlift, he fled to the United States. He came on the boat San Lazaro captained by Cuban
immigrant Roberto Aguero.
(derived from Wikipedia )
Other Editions:
- Voluntad De Vivir Manifestandose (Coleccion Betania De Poesia) (Spanish Edition)
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Nanda Dharma
Rated it: it was amazing
Jul 30, 2013