SOURCE: A review of Mea Cuba, in Antioch Review, Vol. 53, No. 4, Fall, 1995, pp. 494-95.

In the following review, Quan faults Cabrera Infante for failing to note "the positive aspects of the Cuban revolution."

This wide-ranging collection of essays, articles, talks, and book reviews is by one of the foremost Cuban writers of this century. Written after his defection from Cuba in 1965, these pieces cover such topics as Lorca's sojourn in Cuba, a speculation on what the world would be like had there been no Columbus, and the acting careers of famous politicians. The principal topic, however, is the cultural politics of Cuba after the 1959 revolution. These political essays offer much fascinating detail about the lives of Cuban intellectuals. Many of the pieces will be of interest primarily to area scholars. Nevertheless, the book contains many gems of interest to the general reader, and the author's characteristic and always...