The Social Life of Literature in Revolutionary Cuba

The Social Life of Literature offers a brand new way to look at the many ways in which literature functions in post-1959 Cuba and beyond.

In this book Par Kumaraswami goes beyond traditional approaches to the literary work to explore the many social functions of literature in revolutionary Cuba. By outlining the cultural policies that have shaped the production, circulation and reception of literature since 1959, she explores how the book – and the acts of writing and reading – contribute to collective and individual identity formation.

Based on extensive fieldwork in Havana conducted over 12 years, the book also explores how writing and reading create well-being through the ability to construct narratives of the self that connect to the broader context – other selves, other stories – in complex ways.

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