Once again, interlacing myths and realities, a colony of American farmers settled in the northeast zone of Cuba, is revealed by the already acclaimed Cuban writer and expert on the theme, Enrique Cirules, in his latest and recently published novel La saga de la Gloria City.

This new novel presents “the complex world, at the beginning of the XX century, of an American colony settled in the lands of Camagüey, through the experience of young Amy Nielsen, who fell in love at first sight with a descendant of a mambí (rebel).”

La saga de la Gloria City, is a second historical literary approach of a magical territory, Glory City, the settlement of American colonists already revealed in the previous novel: Conversación con el último norteamericano, in 1973 where, for the first time, the author mentioned La Gloria City by means of the invaluable testimony of the only survivor of this settlement, William Stoke.

With regard to the relation between both books, the very same Cirules has said: La saga de la Gloria City is a story told by William Stoke, whom I met in 1970 in the valley of Cubita, Camagüey, in the center of the eastern part of the Island, in the old big house of the Stokes and I was really impressed because he was actually telling me the history of the foundation, its best moments and the destruction of a city of Americans in Cuba.”

This story takes place in a very complicated historical framework, “that was the moment in which more than ten cities of Americans were being founded in the northern part of Camagüey as well as some cities of Europeans, (…) Boston City, La Gloria City, Columbia City, and some other small villages had been founded already.

The author also mentioned that the plot of the novel takes place in “the period in which big American companies were beginning to control the Cuban economy, and this control began in Camagüey”, a vast zone of plains ideal for the reproduction of cattle.

“In short, it is a novel that deals with the conflicts and contradictions of the Cuban culture and the American culture, some are logical human passions and conflicts among the peoples of the two nations, some are severe conflicting contradictions that are being debated and have a great impact in that time,” said the author.

The establishment of American towns in Cuba had as its main guarantee the mechanisms of dependence that appeared during the Government of Occupation the United States had in the Island between 1899 and 1902. During this period was allowed a greater inflow of American capital and investments. This economic, political and cultural penetration brought about an increasing wave of American immigrants to Cuba.

*The author is a journalist of Cubanow.

*Translated by Olga Rosa González.