Diaries Archives - Havana Times

On “Kat of Nine”, Jenny Cressman’s Cuba-Based Short Story Collection

I just finished reading “Kat of Nine” [nine short stories set in different moments of Cuban history], by Canadian author Jenny Cressman.

I always have the feeling that we are in a state of war, one in which no bombs were dropped, or they exploded while we were unconscious.

I confess that writing about my country has become an agony; my hands refuse to put into words all the bad things that are happening.

In every corner of the island, daily life unfolds under an alert triggered by the buzz of the mosquito — no longer just a nuisance…

Walking past the House of the Green Tiles is, for the curious an invitation to imagine the conversations that once took place there.

Going to the doctor was impossible. It struck me from the start with pains that didn’t even allow me to change position to fall asleep.

With the 1959 Revolution, bread became politicized. The promise of “bread for everyone” was institutionalized in 1962 with the Ration Book.

At home, the three of us had it. My aunt got it first, and she told my mother and me that by the third day we would feel better.

In Cuba, blackouts are nothing new; everyone has heard about them for years. They began in the 1970s…

Recently, I’ve been thinking back on those meetings of the Havana Times collaborators that used to be held in Havana every six months.