The Idea of Cuba

This journey into contemporary Cuba by Alex Harris is a powerful and mysterious evocation of life on the island. In the foreground of Harris' photographs and text are some of the archetypes of contemporary Cuban life: the indomitable 1950s American car, the beautiful young woman, and the revered revolutionary hero, Jose Marti, a repeated icon in Harris' photographs and the focus of his text. Indeed, Marti is at the heart of this book, a visual and textual mantra, giving us insight into the Cuban national character and helping us to understand what gives Cubans - on the island or in exile - their enduring strength and their hope for the future. In her accompanying personal essay, Yale historian Lillian Guerra confronts the paradox of Cuba from a different perspective. An American daughter of Cuban exiles, she has visited the island repeatedly to conduct research and to try to understand what it means to be Cuban.