Overview
Few island nations have stirred the soul like Cuba. From Hemingway’s intoxicating Havana to Ry Cooder’s Buena Vista Social Club, outsiders have persistently been fascinated by Cuba for its music (jazz to rumba), its rich literature, its art and dance (danzón to mambo) and perhaps above all for its bold experiment of a socialist revolution in action. Antoni Kapcia shows how the thaw in relations between Cuba and the USA now makes a fresh appraisal of the country and its modern history essential. He authoritatively explores the ‘essence’ of the Cuban revolution, revealing it to be a maverick phenomenon tied not so much to socialism or Communism for their own sakes but instead to an idealistic vision of postcolonial nationalism. Reassessing the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, the author examines the central personalities: not just the famous trio of Che Guevara, Fidel and Raúl Castro in shaping the ideas of the revolution but, still further back, the visionary ideology of José Martí. Kapcia’s book reflects on the future of the revolution as aúl nd his government began to cede power to a new generation.
Full Product Details
Author: Antoni Kapcia
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Weight: 0.435kg
ISBN: 9781788312158
ISBN 10: 1788312155
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 30 April 2018
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Reviews
Antoni Kapcia offers a probing, intellectually challenging, and deeply informed synthesis of Cuba's contemporary history that provides much fodder for reflection and debate. * Hispanic American Historical Review * Kapcia's new book is a provocative and pertinent study, reconsidering Cuba's revolutionary development and survival, despite overwhelming odds. He uses an innovative, fresh approach to address key ideological and political developments in the six decades of the Revolution, challenging many long-held interpretations. Insightful, provocative and balanced, the book is essential reading for all interested in Cuba's 60-year (r)evolutionary process. * John M. Kirk is Professor of Latin American Studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. *
Kapcia's new book is a provocative and pertinent study, reconsidering Cuba's revolutionary development and survival, despite overwhelming odds. He uses an innovative, fresh approach to address key ideological and political developments in the six decades of the Revolution, challenging many long-held interpretations. Insightful, provocative and balanced, the book is essential reading for all interested in Cuba's 60-year (r)evolutionary process. * John M. Kirk is Professor of Latin American Studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. *
Author Information
Antoni Kapcia is Professor of Latin American History at the University of Nottingham. His previous books on modern Cuba include Leadership in the Cuban Revolution: The Unseen Story (2014); Cuba in Revolution: A History since the Fifties (2008); Havana: The Making of Cuban Culture (2005); and Cuba: Island of Dreams (2000).
