“Kites” and “Breathing Room,” with an Introduction by the Author

Abstract

This chapter consists of an original introduction and English language translations of two stories that author Ana Luz García Calzada originally published in Cuba in 2009. García Calzada’s introduction provides an overview of how guantanameros have viewed the base, and describes her view of the social role of fiction. The first story, ‘Kites,’ is an account of two brothers, Raul and Luis, who are trying to cross the fence that separates Cuban territory from the land claimed by the U.S. naval base. The second story, ‘Breathing Room,’ is set in Caimanera, the Cuban town closest to the naval base; it describes what happens when a man tries to swim toward the base but is prevented entry by a U.S. patrol.

Translated by Jessica Adams, Sean Manning, and Don E. Walicek

Jessica Adams, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico jessica.adams@upr.edu

Sean Manning, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA, seanomanning@gmail.com

Don E. Walicek, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico don.walicek@upr.edu