Full Description
For more than thirty years, musician Carlos Varela has been a guide to the heart, soul, and sound of Havana. One of the best known singer-songwriters to emerge out of the Cuban nueva trova movement, Varela has toured in North America, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Europe. In North America, Varela is "Cuba's Bob Dylan." In Cuba, he is the voice of the generation that came of age in the 1990s and for whom his songs are their generation's anthems. My Havana is a lyrical exploration of Varela's life and work, and of the vibrant musical, literary, and cinematic culture of his generation.
Popular both among Cubans on the island and in the diaspora, Varela is legendary for the intense political honesty of lyrics. He is one of the most important musicians in the Cuban scene today. In My Havana, writers living in Canada, Cuba, the United States, and Great Britain use Varela's life and music to explore the history and cultural politics of contemporary Cuba. The book also contains an extended interview with Varela and English translations of the lyrics to all his recorded songs, most of which are appearing in print for the very first time.
Contents
Preface (Jackson Browne)
Introduction: Varela's Musical City (MarÍa Caridad CumanÁ and Karen Dubinsky)
1. Carlos Varela: The Distinguished Son of William Tell (JoaquÍn Borges-Triana)
2. The Persistence of "Memorias" (Robert Nasatir)
3. "Politics don't fit in a sugar bowl" Cuba in the '90s through the music of Varela (Xenia Reloba de la Cruz)
4. Carlos Varela and the Carousel of Cuban History (Karen Dubinsky)
5. A Singer Who Uses the Guitar as a Camera: The Cinematic Quality of Carlos Varela's Songs (MarÍa Caridad CumanÁ)
6. Singing the Cityscape: Varela as Urban Chronicler (Susan Thomas)
7. Carlos Varela, Protest Song, and Cuban Music History (Robin Moore)
8. Carlos Varela: A Cuban who knows the past but can also see the future (Paul Webster Hare)
Interview: Beginning a New Cuban Dream: An Interview with Carlos Varela (MarÍa Caridad CumanÁ and Karen Dubinsky)
Appendix: Lyrics of Varela's recorded songs, in English and Spanish
Bibliography
Contributors Biographies
