The Castro Movement

Although the Castro Movement did not occur until seventy years after the setting of Silent Wing, José Raúl Bernardo was living in Havana, Cuba and attending university during one of that country's most turbulent times. During the late 1950s Fidel Castro fought against overwhelming odds to oust the dictator Batista who had been in power since the 1930s. During 1957 and 1958 Castro gained more support from the public and in January 1959 defeated Batista and took Santiago. It was during this upheaval that Bernardo was completing his degree in music. Perhaps one might argue that a writer is the sum of his or her experiences. Significant political events can impact our lives and make lasting impressions.

The Life of Jose Marti

Considered one of the greatest writers of the Hispanic world, Marti devoted his life's work to ending Spanish rule of his homeland Cuba...