Edited by Betsy Maclean
Woman guerrilla leader in Cuba, whose passion for art and revolution inspired Latin America's cultural renaissance. Santamaría first achieved notoriety by being one of two women who participated in the July 26, 1953 armed attack on the Moncada Garrison that sparked the Cuban revolution.
"There is a moment when all things can be beautiful, heroic. That moment when life defies death and defeat, because one holds on to it, because it's so important not to lose it. At such a moment, one risks everything to preserve what really counts. Life and death can be beautiful and noble, when you fight for your life, but also when you give it up without compromise. All I have wanted to show our young Cubans is that life is more beautiful when you live that way. It is the only way to live."—Haydée Santamaría
Later, as director of the world-renowned literary institution, Casa de las Americas, she embraced culture as a tool for social change and provided refuge for exiled Latin American artists and intellectuals.
Included here are tributes by Alicia Alonso, Fidel Castro, Mario Benedetti, Ariel Dorfman, Melba Hernández, Roberto Fernández Retamar and Silvio Rodríguez.
Haydée Santamaría signifies a world, an attitude, a sensibility as well as a revolution.—Mario Benedetti
Ocean Press, 126 pages, Softcover
