Cuba: A Brief History of the End

In this vividly written, politically-oriented travelogue, Tomás Klvaňa offers a stark narrative of his decade-long travels to Cuba, interweaving a political analysis of the country’s current state with a critical assessment of the ideology that has shaped its development. Cuba: A Brief History of the End reveals an immersive tableau of tropical landscapes that set the stage for the human stories that have unfolded in the shadow of the communist regime. The narrative tells of the author’s encounters, ranging from the dramatic to the humorously absurd, with figures such as anti-communist dissidents, activists, independent journalists, and citizens struggling to survive in a challenging environment. He takes readers through iconic locations, from the tobacco valleys of Viñales and the urban sprawl of Pinar del Río to the eastern reaches of Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo. Historic sites such as the Bay of Pigs and Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución serve as backdrops for an exploration of the political upheavals of the past seventy years, which have not only captured the attention of global powers, but have also deeply affected life in Central Europe. The book draws parallels between Cuban communism and Czechoslovakia’s ＂era of normalization＂ in the 1970s and 1980s, while also reflecting on historical figures such as Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and Ernest Hemingway, whose artistic legacy is closely tied to Cuba.

Tomás Klvaňa is Visiting Professor at New York University Prague and a senior international consultant. He was a Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, served as the Press Spokesperson and Policy Adviser to the President of the Czech Republic, and was Special Coordinator for the Czech government’s missile defense program. Dr. Klvaňa co-founded the Aspen Institute Central Europe and served on its board. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, where he received the Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals, and an M.A. from Charles University in Prague. Dr. Klvaňa is married with two daughters and lives in Prague.