Arenas, Reinaldo (1943–1990)

Reinaldo Arenas was born in Cuba on July 16, 1943. His literary career began in 1963 when he won a contest hosted by the Biblioteca Nacional José Martí (José Martí National Library). He gained a post in the prestigious library and national acclaim. He then embarked on a prolific writing career dedicated to Cuban independence from what he perceived to be the despotic rule of Fidel Castro. Still, to this day, he is considered among the leading figures of Cuban literature to emerge since the revolution of 1959. He committed suicide on December 7, 1990, preferring to free himself from, rather than succumb to, AIDS complications. As is suggested by his autobiography's title, Before Night Falls, Arenas championed every human being's right to freedom and happiness, even in his dying days. He preferred death to a life full of suffering, just as he preferred political activism to a life of oppression. In all things, he espoused self-autonomy, no matter the fight or its outcome.

Cantando en el pozo (Singing From the Well) was the first in a series of five novels collectively called the Pentagonia. Though fiction, the Pentagonia, his most famous work, is framed as the secret history of Cuba under Fidel Castro. It is told from the perspective of an ever-changing protagonist who appears in each novel at a different stage of his life. Cantando is told from a child's perspective. El palacio de las blanquisimas mofetas (The Palace of the Pure White Skunks) is the second in the series and is told from the perspective of an adolescent. The next novel, Otra vez el mar (Farewell to the Sea), took three attempts to write, each time anew, because Castro confiscated it twice. The fourth is El color de verano (The Color of Summer). The fifth, El asalto (The Assault), protrays the protagonist later in his life.

Arenas was able to publish only one novel in Cuba, Cantando. The Cuban revolutionary government did not allow artists to write counterrevolutionary art, nor were they allowed to publish overseas. Given this climate, Arenas was forced to secretly publish in other countries and was subsequently arrested in 1970. He continued to write while in prison, secretly smuggling out his work. He remained in prison until 1976, after which he was forbidden to write. In 1980, during the Mariel Boatlift, he escaped Cuba amid the confusion of the 10,000 people who stormed the Peruvian embassy in the hope that they would be able to leave. He then lived out his life in the United States. At first he admired the United States for its ostensible ideals, [Page 189]but later he became disenchanted with the racist and hierarchical nature of the society and the division between classes, facts he parodied in his El Portero (The Doorman).

Apart from his novels, Arenas wrote several collections of short stories, began a monthly publication called Mariel and published on matters dealing with national and international cultural politics in several publications. He received numerous awards, including best foreign novelist in France 1969 and a Guggenheim fellowship in 1982. He was a professor for a brief time and spoke at several universities.

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