Travelers' Tales of Old Cuba
From Treasure Island to Mafia den
Edited by John Jenkins
Few places are as fascinating as Cuba, which has drawn travelers ever since it was "discovered" by Columbus in 1492. Magnificently evoking the romance and drama as well as darker episodes of slavery and tyranny, this book moves from the pirate days when Havana sheltered treasure ships to the "American era" when it became a glittering Mafia paradise.
This unique, new anthology looks at Cuba through the eyes of diverse visitors, including literary luminaries such as Langston Hughes, Anais Nin, Arnold Samuelson, Maturin M. Ballou, William Cullen Bryant, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Frank Ragano and Selwyn Raab.
Good travelers’ stories should not only inform the read but also fire the imagination. These tales are full of the flavor and manners of the pre-revolutionary era to which they belong, reflecting the various impressions of visitors to one of the most fascinating islands on earth.
John Jenkins is an established travel writer, editor, journalist and poet. He lives in Australia and teaches creative writing in Melbourne.
We left Cuba with the rumba throbbing in our ears.
—Langston Hughes
I have been transported to Fairyland, I now live in an Enchanted Palace. All my sadness and apprehension fled the moment I caught sight of Havana.
—Anais Nin
When first in the dim light of early morning I saw the shores of Cuba, I felt as if I sailed with Captain Silver and first gazed on Treasure Island.
—Winston Churchill
The present-day Cuban is rapidly becoming Americanized. Thousands act, think, talk and look like Americans, wear American clothes, ride in American autos, use American furniture and machinery; oftentimes send their children to American colleges; live for a time in the States themselves or expect to, and eat much American food. Unlike many other Latins their ideals are American.
—Terry’s Guide to Cuba, 1929
