Table of Contents

Introduction: The Havana Mosaic: Sweetness and Light * The Colony, 1550s-1902--Part I: The City in the Shadows - Havana before Sugar, 1550s-1760s / Part II: The Boom City: Sugar and the Evolution of a Capital, 1760s-1901 * The Republic, 1902-1958--Part I: A Nation without a Capital, and a Capital without a Nation, 1902-1933 / Part II: Havana as the Cultural Problem, 1934-1958 / Part II: Case study: Bohemia * The Revolution--Part I: The Agony and the Ecstasy of Revolution: A New Marginalisation of Havana, 1959-71? / Part II: The Grey City - Conformity, Stagnation and Brutalism in the 1970s and 1980s / Part III: Case study: Bohemia and Granma * Havana as a Living City, 1990 till the Present--Part I: The Rebirth of a Cultural Space / Part II: Case Study: the Casas de Cultura * Conclusion: Havana as Chiaroscuro

Promotional Information

Also available in hardback, 9781859738320 GBP50.00 (July, 2005)

About the Author

Antoni Kapcia is Professor of Latin American History at the University of Nottingham and the author of Cuba: Island of Dreams (Berg Publishers, 2000).

Reviews

'This unique analysis of Cuba's search for a national identity is unrivalled for its understanding of the interaction between elites, culminating in a lucid account of the problems of revolutionary mass culture, brilliantly evoking the uniqueness of Havana as a symbol for one of the world's most vibrant and creative nations.' Alistair Hennessy, retired Professor of History and Director for Centre of Caribbean Studies, Warwick University 'In his magisterial account of five hundred years of cultural history, Tony Kapcia captures the paradoxical contrasts and ironies of this great Atlantic port, once the gateway to the Indies, the mainstay of the Spanish silver trade and the bastion of the Imperial fleet since the seventeenth century. He explains how Havana, a city of 'fusion and confusion', harbour to Spanish galleons, slave ships, Russian tankers and cruise liners alike, became the melting pot of African and Spanish cultures, music, dance and art and how it came to symbolize Cuban national independence in the face of great adversity. This is an engrossing book by one of Britain's most distinguished Cubanists, a must for those keen to know more about the capital of the island known as 'Pearl of the Antilles', one of the most exciting places on earth.' Catherine Davies, Professor of Hispanic and Latin American Studies, University of Nottingham, author of 'A Place in the Sun? Women Writers in Twentieth-century Cuba' (Zed, 1997). 'Kapcia's cultural history of Havana is engaging, lively and thought-provoking. Issues of identity, history and culture are explored with gusto. Kapcia is a concise, entertaining, knowledgeable guide, who takes the reader on a compelling historical tour of a complex and fascinating city.' Dr. William M. Fowler, Department of Spanish, University of St Andrews 'Tony Kapcia's encyclopaedic knowledge and natural sympathy for the varied strands of Cuban culture combine here to create a riveting and original explanation of Havana's emergence as the most vibrant city in the Americas. He shows how the interaction of politics and culture in the revolutionary period, coupled with the harnessing of cultural trends from Europe, the United States, and black Africa, have created a unique blend of modernity and heritage, enabling the citizens of Havana to remake both the physical and spiritual dimensions of their city.' Richard Gott, author of 'Cuba: A New History' (Yale, 2004) 'Kapcia's encyclopaedic knowledge provides a kaleidoscope that is truly impressive and eminently readable.' Geoff Bottoms, Morning Star 'Kapacia paints a broad canvas with his gift for words and backs it up with excellent glossaries of abbreviations and Spanish terms, a comprehensive bibliography and extensive index.' Geoff Bottoms, Morning Star 'Touching on such areas as architecture, literature, music, visual arts, and the press, Kapcia's Havana is an academic guidebook to the history and culture of this fascinating and singular city.' British Bulletin of Publications (No. 113)