Synopses & Reviews
Set in Cuba during the 1920s, this novel recounts the eventful life of a cabaret dancer named Rachel. The protagonist is an actress, a dancer, and a heartbreaker who takes readers on a guided tour through the different stages of her past, from the filthy theaters, cabarets, and circuses in which she debuted, to the mythical Alhambra Theater in which she reached the height of her career. In addition to Rachel's narrative, the voices of stagehands, journalists, friends, enemies, and gossips depict an accurate portrait of the customs during the Cuban belle époque.
Ambientada en Cuba durante los años 20, esta novela cuenta la azarosa existencia de una cabaretera llamada Rachel. La protagonista es una actriz, bailarina y rompecorazones que acompaña al lector en un recorrido a través de todos los escenarios de su memoria, desde los cochambrosos teatrillos, cabarets y circos en los que debutó hasta el mítico teatro Alhambra en el que triunfió. Junto a la narración de Rachel, las voces de tramoyistas, periodistas, amigos, enemigos y chismosos componen un verdadero retrato de las costumbres de la belle époque cubana.
Synopsis
Set in Cuba during the 1920s, this novel recounts the eventful life of a cabaret dancer named Rachel. The protagonist is an actress, a dancer, and a heartbreaker who takes readers on a guidedtour through the different stages of her past, from the filthy theaters, cabarets, and circuses in which she debuted, to the mythical Alhambra Theater in which she reached the height of her career. In addition to Rachel's narrative, the voices ofstagehands, journalists, friends, enemies, and gossipsdepict an accurate portrait of the customs during the Cuban belle epoque.
Ambientada en Cuba durante los anos 20, esta novela cuenta la azarosa existencia de una cabaretera llamada Rachel. La protagonista es una actriz, bailarina y rompecorazones que acompana al lector en un recorrido a traves de todos los escenarios de su memoria, desde los cochambrosos teatrillos, cabarets y circos en los que debuto hasta el mitico teatro Alhambra en el que triunfio. Junto alanarracion de Rachel, las voces detramoyistas, periodistas, amigos, enemigos y chismosos componen un verdadero retrato de las costumbres de la belle epoque cubana."
About the Author
Miguel Barnet is a Cuban author and ethnologist. He is best known for his Cuban tetralogy, which includes Biografía de un cimarrón, Canción de Rachel, Gallego, and La vida real. He is the founder and director of the Fernando Ortiz Foundation, dedicated to the dissemination of Cuban culture. Italo Calvino was an Italian journalist and writer of short stories and novels. His best-known works include Invisible Cities and If on a Winter's Night a Traveler.