About the Author

John Paul Rathbone was born in New York and raised in England. Currently the "Financial Times'" Latin American editor, and a former editor of the FT s prestigious Lex column, he is a graduate of Oxford and Columbia Universities, and has worked as an economist at the World Bank, and as a journalist. His articles have appeared in many publications including "The Wall Street Journal, Britain s Sunday Telegraph," Colombia s "El Espectador" and "Esquire" magazine, where he was business columnist from 2002-2003. He lives in London."

Reviews

""The Sugar King of Havana" is a picture postcard in print, an elegant and perceptive tale of life on a star-crossed island. ... [Rathbone] has a keen eye for the sounds, sights and smells of Cuba."
-"Christian Science Monitor"
"Fascinating... Mr. Rathbone tells the story of prerevolutionary Cuba through the prism of the man who was once known as the Sugar King. ... [H]e gives us a richly detailed portrait of this complicated, conflicted man while deftly weaving a thumbnail history of modern Cuba into Lobo's story."
-Michiko Kakutani, "The New York Times"
"In this splendid, engagingly written book, Rathbone makes Lobo come alive in the context of Cuba's booms and busts up until Castro's revolution."
-"Financial Times"
"An entertaining biography that is also a portrait of Cuba between the island's independence in the late 19th century and Fidel Castro's march into Havana in January 1959."
-"The Wall Street Journal"
"Splendid... Rathbone's nuanced blending of familial and national history lend this work poignancy and depth."
-Ann Louise Bardach, "The Washington Post"
"Wide-ranging life of a Cuban Croseus and a graceful history of the island during the last century...Lively, well written...."
-"Kirkus Reviews "
"[THE SUGAR KING OF HAVANA] restores a realistic sense of what 1950s Cuba was like, including the guarded optimism with which many upper-crust Cubans such as Lobo initially viewed Castro's seizing of power. Rathbone's care with social atmosphere lifts his portrayal of Lobo above the usual life-of-a-tycoon and enriches the historical understanding of readers contemplating post Castro Cuba."
-"Booklist"
""The Sugar King of Havana" is a remarkable book. On the one hand, John Paul Rathbone has written the extraordinary life story of Cuba 's late sugar baron Julio Lobo. Set against the epic sweep of Cuba 's revolutionary history, this is also a deeply personal family memoir that clear