Levis is a composer and in 1928 writes a song, "Rosas Puras," or "Pretty Roses," for his unrequited love Rita Valladares. The song becomes the most popular rumba in the world. His fame catapults him to Europe, where his hedonistic lifestyle in Paris is cut short by the war as he becomes witness to one of humankind's darkest hours. Hijuelos, having recently turned fifty, says he wrote A Simple Habana Melody as a celebration of the music of his native country and the people who inspire it. This vivid and lyrical portrait of Cuba's past is tribute indeed — a glorious, sensual and moving novel. Georgie, Powells.com

When Levis arrives back in Habana, his mind returns to an unrequited romance with the alluring Rita Valladares, a singer for whom Levis had written his most famous song, "Rosas Puras." This 1928 composition became the most famous rumba in the world and changed American and European tastes in music and dance forever.

A love story — of art, family, and country — A Simple Habana Melody is a virtuoso performance from one of our most important writers.

Israel's fame takes him to the Paris of the 1930s and 40s, where the clubs are swinging, the brothels are abundant, and the threat of Hitler looms on the horizon. When the Nazis take over France, Israel stays, knowing that he is a good Catholic. Yet because of his name, he is mistaken for a Jew, and sent to Buchenwald.

This is a love-story — for art, family, and country — as well as a portrait of Habana at the turn of the last century, when "the world was good." A Simple Habana Melody is a virtuoso performance from one of our most important writers.

Oscar Hijuelos was born of Cuban parentage in New York City in 1951. He is a recipient of the Rome Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, among others. His five previous novels have been translated into twenty-five languages.

Oscar Hijuelosnació de padres cubanos en Nueva York en 1951. Sus otras novelas incluyen Mr. Ives' Christmas, The Fourteen Sisters of Emilio Montez O'Brien, Our House in the Last World y A Simple Havana Melody (Una Sencilla Melodía Habanera). Vive en Nueva York.