BOOKS, MOVIES & MUSIC

We’ve entered a whole new era of US travel to Cuba but there is still a lot a traveler should know. Although tourism from the US has reached unprecedented numbers and yes, Cuba is a mere 90 miles away, it is still a new destination for most Americans and the helpful tips below will aid in making your visit to this island paradise as relaxed and seamless as possible from arrival to departure. And don’t forget, the Cuban people are as thrilled to have you there as you are to visit their beautiful country and they can be very helpful to visitors from abroad. Visit the Things to Do and Things to Know section of our website to give you even more detailed information on restaurants, nightlife, slang and yes, even on living like a Cuban!!

+ Books

Selected Writings, by José Martí The Cuban Revolution: Origins, Course, and Legacy. Marifeli Perez-Stable Cuba: A Global Studies Handbook, by Ted Henken Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, by Julia Sweig Cuba, Or the Pursuit of Freedom, by Hugh Thomas Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life, by Jon Lee Anderson Dancing with Cuba: A Memoir of the Revolution, by Alma Guillermoprieto. Havana Before Castro: When Cuba Was a Tropical Playground, by Peter Moruzzi
+ Non-Fiction

Waiting for Snow in Havana, by Carlos Eire Dancing with Cuba: A Memoir of the Revolution by Alma Guillermoprieto Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir by Margarita Engle
+ Fiction

Telex From Cuba, by Rachel Kushner Dirty Havana Trilogy, by Pedro Juan Gutiérrez The Man Who Loved Dogs, by Leonardo Padura The Kingdom of This World by Alejo Carpentier Before Night Falls by Reinaldo Arenas Cecilia Valdés or El Angel Hill by Cirilo Villaverde Biography of a Runaway Slave by Miguel Barnet
+ Poetry

The Whole Island – Six Decades of Cuban Poetry (A Bilingual Anthology), ed.: Mark Weiss Violet Island and Other Poems, by Reina María Rodríguez The Bridges, by Fayad Jamís Ismaelillo by Jose Marti Man-making words; selected poems of Nicolas Guillen Legacies: Selected Poems Paperback by Heberto Padilla Muerte de Narciso by José Lezama Lima Obras Escogidas of Dulce Maria Loynaz Antologia Poetica by Fina Garcia Marruz
+ Photography and Art

Alex Webb & Rebecca Norris Webb: Violet Isle Jose A. Figueroa: A Cuban Self-Portrait Walker Evans: Cuba Rene Burri: Cuba y Cuba Veigas-Zamora, Vives Gutierrez, Nodal, and Garzon: Memoria, Cuban Art of the 20th Century
+ Travelogue

Trading With the Enemy: A Yankee Travels through Castro’s Cuba, by Tom Miller The Havana Guide: Modern Architecture 1925- 1965 by Eduardo Luis Rodríguez Tropicana Nights, by Rosa Lowinger
+ Political

The Boys From Dolores, by Patrick Symmes Without Fidel, by Ann Louise Bardach
+ On-line

Harper’s Magazine October 2010: “Thirty Days as a Cuban” The Economist Special Report on Cuba – March 24, 2012: Nuestra América by José Martí
+ Movies

PM, 1961, by Sabá Cabrera Infante, Orlando Jiménez Leal The Twelve Chairs (Las doce sillas), 1962, by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea I Am Cuba (Soy Cuba), 1964, by Mikhail Kalatozov Death Of A Bureaucrat (La muerte de un burócrata), 1966, by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea Memories of Underdevelopment (Memorias del subdesarrollo), 1968, by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea One Way or Another (De Cierta Manera),1974, by Sara Gómez The Last Supper (La última cena), 1976, by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea Portrait of Teresa (Retrato de Teresa), 1979, by Pastor Vega Lucia, 1968, by Humberto Solas Cecilia, 1981, by Humberto Solás Se permuta, 1983, by Juan Carlos Tabío A Girlfriend for David (Una novia para David), 1985, by Orlando Rojas Vampires in Havana (Vampiros en La Habana), 1985, by Juan Padrón Too Afraid of Life or Splat (Plaff o demasiado miedo a la vida), 1988, by Juan Carlos Tabío Papeles secundarios, 1989, by Orlando Rojas The Beauty of the Alhambra (La bella del Alhambra),1989, by Enrique Pineda Barnet Alice In Wondertown (Alicia en el pueblo de maravillas), 1990, by Daniel Díaz Torres María Antonia, 1990, by Sergio Giral Fresa y chocolate, 1993, by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabío Madagascar, 1994, by Fernando Pérez Guantanamera, 1995, by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea La vida es silbar, 1998, by Fernando Pérez Video de familia, 2000, by Humberto Padrón Lista de espera, 2000, by Juan Carlos Tabío Nada, 2003, by Juan Carlos Cremata Viva Cuba, 2005, by Juan Carlos Cremata Habana Blues, by Benito Zambrano Habanastation, 2011, by Ian Padrón Conducta, 2014, by Ernesto Daranas
+ Documentary

Unfinished Spaces by Alysa Nahmias and Benjamin Murray. Buena Vista Social Club by Wim Wenders Dance Cuba: Dreams of Flight by Cynthia Newport Maestra by Catherine Murphy The Poet of Havana by Ron Chapman Suite Havana by Fernando Perez Yank Tanks by David Schendel Horizontes by Eileen Hofer Now by Santiago Álvarez
+ Music

Cuban music cannot be explained. It has to be experienced. It has to be felt. The plethora of outstanding Cuban music from the late 19th century to present is too vast and diverse to list in one place. We try to give a broad stroke overview so you can experience the musical body of work of this small country and the influence it has had on music from all over the world throughout the ages. From the early origins of danceable afro-cuban rhythms to their incorporation in everything from son, guaguanco, classical and jazz, Cuban music has influenced the greatest artists, composers and arrangers throughout history including Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole and Michel Legrand, to name a few. In recent decades, the evolution of Cuban rock, hip hop and even reggaeton rivals that of any other latin american country and has influenced artists from the The Roots and Tego Calderon to Jackson Browne and The Black Eyed Peas. Irakere: Misa negra Chucho Valdés and Omara Portuondo: Danza ñañiga Pablo Milanés & Silvio Rodríguez: El breve espacio en que no estás Pablo Milanes: Yolanda Silvio Rodriguez: El unicornio azul Buenavista Social Club Los Van Van: Sandunguera NG La Banda: Necesito una Amiga La Charanga Habanera: La chica mas bella Leo Brouwer: Un día de noviembre Camerata Romeu: Camerata en Guaguanco Frank Fernández: La comparsa Santiago Feliu: Ansias del alba Carlos Varela: Muros y puertas Kelvis Ochoa: A ella de duele Descemer Bueno: El carro David Torrens: El bufon y el tragico Ernan Lopez Nussa: Fin del baile Habana Abierta: Ahora si tengo la llave Gema y Pavel: Parar de fumar Orishas: A lo cubano Raul Paz: El balcon Gente de Zona: Traidora Fernando Alvarez: Se feliz Boris Larramendi: Boris Larramendi: Siempre happy

Experience Cuba

TESTIMONIALS

Our two week trip was a great experience. The staff was impeccable with every aspect of the journey, from arrival in Miami for the charter flight to the amazing restaurants, walking tours and music excursions. To coordinate over 150 travelers for a premium tour would have been impossible without their wealth of knowledge and attention to detail. For myself, the band, and many of our guests, the trip was one of the best experiences of our lives!

— Director of Development, Preservation Hall Foundation, New Orleans.