Havana

We are in good hands to explore this diabolically alluring city with New York Times bestselling author Mark Kurlansky in Havana: A Subtropical Delirium. His is an insider's view of the ramshackle charm and special cadence of Havana, its tattered and elegant surprises and pulsating fun-loving life. New York Journal of Books This little gem of a book by the prolific Kurlansky is a revelation ... At a most auspicious moment in the history of Cuba and Havana, Kurlansky, who has spent much time in the country as a journalist, writes an eloquent love letter to one of the world's great cities. -- starred review Booklist An affectionate, richly detailed, brief biography of a unique city. Kirkus Reviews Warmly rendered and rich with the insights of an observer intimate with his subject, this paean to the city of Havana is as engaging as it is timely. The chapters read like a series of colorful picture postcards, each one a touchstone of Havana's history and Cuban culture. Publishers Weekly This extremely readable book is not preachy, not dogmatic, not shrill. As in life, there is a mixture of both good and evil, and Kurlansky, a frequent Cuba correspondent, covers it well. -- starred review Library Journal Few countries seem as alluring as this island nation, long cloistered from American travelers, which welcomed its first commercial U.S. flight--from Fort Lauderdale--this past August ... Havana is Mark Kurlansky's cultural history of a city that he began visiting regularly in the 1980s, when he covered the Caribbean for the Chicago Tribune. Publishers Weekly, Spring Travel Books A happy hybrid, Havana: A Subtropical Delirium invokes the Cuban capital as an occasion to discuss the country's history, politics, food, architecture, music, religion and passion for baseball ... Kurlansky approaches Havana like an Impressionist painter, building the image of this metropolis of 2 million inhabitants with subtle brushstrokes. The Washington Post Havana is sui generis and addictive, and Mark Kurlansky really gets it. BookPage Biographical portraits of cities are in vogue. This lively addition to the genre is essentially a history ... Kurlansky found international fame in 1997 with his piscatorial portrait, Cod. The lengthy list of other titles he has penned is enough to make most professional writers want to shoot themselves--not only more than a dozen non-fiction works but novels and children's books as well. The bugger is also an award-winning food writer. Narrative history is his forte, however. His vignettes of the figures who moulded Havana are excellent. The story unfurls through grisly post-independence dictatorships and ends, inevitably, with Castro. Kurlansky is even-handed. Literary Review HAVANA is as enjoyable as it is fair, and above all features the beauty and essence of the city that makes it unmistakable. It is a colorful, descriptive piece that any person should warmly enjoy. Bookreporter.com An elegant brief history ... related with vast brio and wit. Los Angeles Times on COD Kurlansky finds the world in a grain of salt ... fascination and surprise regularly erupt from the detail. The New York Times Book Review on SALT A lively, anecdotal, all-encompassing history of Basque ingenuity and achievement. Atlantic Monthly on THE BASQUE HISTORY OF THE WORLD Memorable, essential, and ... wondrous. The Boston Globe on 1968 Part treatise, part miscellany, unfailingly entertaining. New York Times Book Review on THE BIG OYSTER Kurlansky's telling of this history ... is swift, crisp, and deft. The Atlantic on PAPER