A cuban memoir

Reinaldo Arenas' memoir "Antes que anochezca" is a harrowing tale of sexual frenzy, political repression and literary courage set in Cuba in the 60's and 70's. In the cuban hothouse, a petty, implacable communist tyranny corrupts, suffocates or crushes all opposition and dissent. Writers and homosexuals are a particular target. Somehow, amidst terrible difficulties, Arenas manages to smuggle first his manuscripts and them himself out of the island and finally taste a little freedom in the US before succumbing to the Aids epidemic. It is important to read such testimonies every once in a while to be reminded of the value of political freedom and material comfort such as we enjoy  in the West.