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PERSONA NON GRATA

Name: PERSONA NON GRATA
Author: Jorge Edwards
ISBN: 1-55778-576-7

A MEMOIR OF DISENCHANTMENT WITH THE CUBAN REVOLUTION

by Jorge Edwards ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 30, 1993

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A genuine literary treasure from Latin America's recent past, which—though originally published in 1973 in Spain and elsewhere- -is just now available in a gracefully translated US edition, with a laudatory preface by Octavio Paz. Posted to Cuba as an interim envoy in late 1970 when Chile's Salvador Allende defied the OAS and resumed formal relations with Cuba, novelist/short-story writer Edwards spent nearly four months representing Chile at what proved to be a critical juncture in Cuba's rule by Fidel Castro. While a committed man of the left, the author quickly concluded that Cuba's revolution was not the socialist idyll accepted by his fellow Chilean intellectuals, and he began to fear for the future of his homeland as well. Beset by obtrusive minders, Edwards (who on his first night in Cuba had talked and drunk with Fidel into the wee hours) almost immediately incurred his host's wrath by establishing contact with some of the regime's most implacably critical dissidents, notably poet Heberto Padilla (subsequently imprisoned on charges of treason). More the journal of an uncommonly decent idealist than an aggrieved dialectician's plaint, the author's wide-ranging recollections of his Cuban sojourn illuminate rather than censure or damn the horrors of dictatorships. Although Edwards did not personally witness atrocities, his recall of encounters with Castro aboard a Chilean training ship and at official functions conveys the message of menace with greater force than any catalogue of brutalities. The same holds true for the subtly threatening atmosphere that made Havana's diplomatic community a hotbed of paranoia. When his tour was over, Edwards moved on to Paris, where, as an aide to ambassador Pablo Neruda, he gained further perspective on abortive revolution in Chile, as well as in Cuba. A cultivated humanist's marvelously readable memoir of revolution's hard realities, which 20 years later has appeal for readers of almost any political persuasion.

Pub Date: Aug. 30, 1993

ISBN: 1-55778-576-7

Page Count: 336

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1993

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.