In this, the second book of five about revolutionary Cuba, Arenas brings us into the city to continue on the life of Fortunato, the boy narrator introduced in Singing from the Well. Fortunato is older now, and the narrative reflects this maturity by following a more chronological format. But his torment, misery and anger is no less. Always in the background is the gunfire of the reveloution which captivates Fortunato and eventually ensnares him.

While less difficult than Singing from the Well, The Palace of the White Skunks is still no easy read. Yet both books are extraordinary. Anyone interested in reading Latin American authors must include Arenas.

Arenas is neither a fan of capitalism nor communism, but don't let his political views temper your reading of this amazing memoir. Beginning in Cuba when he was just a child who licked dirt, this story takes us on a ride from the downfall of Batista to the rise of Castro, and the oppression suffered by gays, artists, women and all those who did not fit into Castro's Cuba. Arenas' tale is a powerful one, and not for the faint of heart. I am not referring here to the homosexuality in the book, I am referring to the graphic descriptions of life in prison that Arenas underwent. That alone is enough to make one put down the book for a while, and take a stroll. In the end, this book is a wonderful, untempered look at rebellion, and escape. Arenas is not the sad, gentle soul telling a tale. rather, this book is full of fire and anger, and makes it that much more satisfying. I highly recommend this book to anybody who has taken freedom for granted (and that includes me).

It is most reassuring to see that a film based on Arenas' extraordinary book "Before Night Falls" is gaining the kudos and exposure this underrated (in this country at least)author deserves. I first read this book when it was translated and released in 1993 and seeing the film only made me hasten to return to the original book. Time has aged the eloquence of this memoir but has not marred the impact of the brilliance of the writing. Arenas wrote with a degree of truth and keen observation that makes his moments of antics with his characters like comic relief in a Shakespearean play. For obvious reasons the film (brilliantly directed by Julian Schnabel and acted by Javier Bardem as Arenas) could not dwell on some of the elements that make the book so unique: the extended description of life in Cuban prisons is only touched on. But the single most significant rediscovery in reading "Before Night Falls" again is Arenas' poetry. He had a gift of distilling Magical Realism, transforming even the radical ugliness of Castro's Cuba into the topical paradise so beloved by Cubans everywhere. See the film, but let that experience introduce you to the rich literary output of one of the most exciting writers of the last century.

"Before Night Falls," the autobiography of Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas, is an astonishing book. Arenas notes that he dictated part of the book into a tape recorder, and it was later transcribed by a friend. This format probably accounts for the book's intimate tone; I could imagine Arenas sitting in front of me and telling the whole story over coffee. The book has been translated into a forthright English by Dolores M. Koch.

"Before Night Falls" begins with Arenas' childhood in rural Cuba. It details his life as a writer, his many sexual exploits as a gay man, and his sufferings under the regime of Fidel Castro. It is amazing to read how Arenas had to struggle to exist as a writer in a police state; he tells how he was forced to hide manuscripts and how friends smuggled his writings out of Cuba for publication in foreign countries.

The book contains many shocking and painful episodes, such as his accounts of his own imprisonment and exile. But his life story also contains moments of humor and hope. Particularly interesting are Arenas' accounts of his friendships with other gay Cuban writers, such as Virgilio Pinera and Jose Lezama Lima. Overall, the tone of the book reflects Arenas' many moods: sensuous, angry, joyful, outraged, wry, melancholy, and--above all--defiant. His writing is rich in colorful personalities and fascinating anecdotes.

An interesting companion volume to Arenas' autobiography would be the book "Eminent Maricones: Arenas, Lorca, Puig, and Me," by gay Colombian-born writer Jaime Manrique. Manrique knew Arenas personally, and "Eminent Maricones" contains an account of Arenas' last days as he worked to complete "Before Night Falls" while dying of AIDS-related complications. Having read that book made me appreciate Arenas' achievement even more.

At one point Arenas recalls advice given to him by Jose Lezama Lima: "Remember that our only salvation lies in words: write!" Reading this book, I get the sense that Arenas achieved his own personal "salvation" through his literature, and in particular, through this autobiography. "Before Night Falls" is an amazing human testament that moved me deeply. If you are interested in Latin American literature, gay studies, the art of autobiography, or human rights issues, I strongly recommend this book to you.

"Old Rosa: A Novel in Two Stories" is a compelling work of fiction by Reinaldo Arenas, one of Cuba's most important writers. As the book's subtitle indicates, this work consists of two shorter pieces. The first, "Old Rosa," has been translated into English by Ann Tashi Slater; the second, "The Brightest Star," has been translated into English by Andrew Hurley.

The first story tells of the family of Old Rosa, a Cuban landowner whose life begins to fall apart under Castro's revolution. As Arenas explores her family and community relationships, he illuminates such issues as racial prejudice, homophobia, and economic conflict. This is a powerful story which skillfully blends elements of hard-core realism with hallucinatory supernatural touches.

The second story, "The Brightest Star," follows the experiences of Old Rosa's son Arturo in a Cuban forced-labor camp. This is a harrowing tale which deals in part with the redemptive power of writing and fantasy.

This book is an important piece of 20th century Latin American literature. The only drawback I found as a reader was the fact that each story unfolds as a single unbroken paragraph; this format, although impressive from a technical aspect, gets somewhat tiring after a while. But I still recommend "Old Rosa." And I also suggest that those who are impressed with Arenas' gifts as a fiction writer also read his remarkable autobiography, "Before Night Falls" (which has been made into a compelling film).

Old Rosa's world falls apart - a son joining the rebels made a crack - discovering her favored son is homosexual completes the destruction. The final five pages are incredible writing - Rosa's anger turns towards God, towards an angel, and turns destructive as she refuses to face the disgrace.

Yes, the two related stories in this slim volume stand as excellent writing in themselves - but the fire scene transforms the book into "incredible".

La novela El Portero del controversial escritor cubano Reinaldo Arenas, no alcanza la profundidad ni la plenitud poética de los escritos autobiográficos del mismo autor. Reinaldo Arenas como el protagonista de su novela El Portero, no fue feliz en ninguna parte, ni aqui, ni alla. No ser feliz en Cuba o en cualquier otro país de latinoamerica, es algo que la gente comprende, pero no ser feliz en los Estados Unidos, es considerado un acto fuera de toda lógica. Hay que ser o decir que se es feliz en los Estados Unidos, que estamos profundamente agradecidos con el sistema, porque de lo contrario, lo que nos espera es: el aislamiento, la soledad, la deportación, la cárcel o el manicomio. Al portero, de Arenas, un joven cubano de 17 años, que llegó a los Estados Unidos a través del Mariel, y que después de fracasar empleado en los oficios mas diversos, se acomodó como portero en un lujoso edificio de Manhattan, lo que estaba aguardandolo era el manicomio. El portero se obsesionó con la idea de una puerta, una puerta que lo condujera a otra realidad, distinta a la que había dejado atrás, pero también distinta a la que le tocaba vivir ahora. Una puerta para liberar por ella también a todos los inquilinos. Rodeado de millonarios excentricos el portero solo logró establecer comunicación con las mascotas de los inquilinos. Fábula? Remembranza de los cuentos de los Hermanos Grimm? Cuento de hadas en las postrimerías del Siglo Veinte? O versión capitalista de La Granja de George Orwell? Aclamada por la crítica internacional en el año 1988, la novela El Portero no pasa de ser un texto que alimentado por el odio, sacrifica su dimensión artística al servicio de una causa política. Sería interesante conocer los manuscritos originales. Porque el autor ya no está con nosotros para defender su novela. Reinaldo Arenas se suicidó en la ciudad de Nueva York, el 7 de Diciembre de 1990.

Desde mi punto de vista, "El Portero" es una obra escrita en sentido figurado, llena de simbolismo. El personaje de Juan es la representación viva del cubano en el exilio, los animales, de cierta forma también representan los diferentes sectores de la cubanidad en el exilio con sus deseos, sueños y frustraciones, los habitantes del edificio, representan a una parte de la sociedad americana, apática a la realidad circundante y aislada en sus propias miserias espirituales. El final, lírico y casi bíblico representa el más preciado sueño de los que cruzaron el mar en busca de libertad forzados por el regimen o por convicción propia.

Reading this stunning mixture of politics, religion, sex, slavery ... brings to mind writers like Walt Whitman, Carl Sandburg and Eduardo Galleano - a song of a people who dare to sing in despair.

My personal favorite - among many wonderful lines: "and that no place, nowhere, grows the tree that does not exist / But / we continue to search for you, tree, / in the early morning bread-lines / and in the nights where one lines up for dreams."

This book is a keeper.

Roberto Valero wrote Este viento de cuaresma shortly before his death in 1994. Reinaldo Arenas wrote the introduction to the novel. The book deals primarily with the life of Jaime Valdes, a Cuban national who has "emigrated" out of Cuba to the United States in the Mariel-KeyWest boatlif in 1980. In the novel, Jaime takes the reader on a journey not only through his personal history and life in contemporary communist Cuba but through his fears, introspections and survival phiolosophy in that society. The novel is experimental within Cuban Literature itself as it combines short stories with the novelesque text. These independently conceived stories --which do not relate to the novel itself--are popular jokes told by Pepito, the stereotypical character of a child who happens to be not just sharpen in his views but also sardonic and humorous. His stories are related to political ands social issues in contemporary Cuban society. Pepito's "jokes" on important social issues of today's Cuba become a sort of historical setting or background --the literary space-- where the novel takes place. After the reader becomes familiar with the main character's stormy life, the author begins to question whether his life is real or not, whether Washington D.C is his "hometown" or not, whether he is in Cuba or outside the island, a nightmare suffered by many refugees who have abandoned oppressive regimes. Dreams intertwine with reality to the point that Jaime himself is not sure whether he is a free man or just another victim of Castro's rule, grounded for ever on the island. The end of the novel leaves us in shock: Jaime --or the author--might have dreamed that he resides in the US, that his life was a dream --similar to Unamuno's obsession with being a character dreamed by somebody else--, that his life in the United States "never existed". James (and the reader) is told these words by the State agent who handles his "case", his political case. Character and reader become ambivalent about whether James' life was indeed fiction or reality. The grotesque aspect of a communist regime is shown a step forward: even our dreams belong to the State, entity capable of manipulating and twisting our own inner worlds and existence. This is a very important novel, particularly for those who have not lived under those opressing regimes. Ideal novel to find out how were the psicological worlds, passions, tragedies and lives of a generation of Cubans born under a totalitarian system circa the end of the second millenium.