Status
Available
Series
Genres
Publication
New York, N.Y., U.S.A. : Penguin Books, 1987, c1986.
Description
In this brilliant, apocalyptic vision of Castro's Cuba, we meet a young couple who leave the dreariness of Havana and spend six days at a small seaside retreat, where they hope to recapture the desire and carefree spirit that once united them. In a stunning juxtaposition of narrative voices, the wife recounts the grim reality of her marriage, the demands of motherhood, and her loss of freedom, innocence, and hope; while her husband, a disillusioned poet and disenchanted revolutionary, recalls his political struggles and laments the artistic and homosexual freedom that has been denied him. Rich in hallucination, myth and fantasy, Farewell to the Sea is a fierce and unforgettable work that speaks for the entire human condition.
User reviews
LibraryThing member palindrome80
Written mostly in stream-of-consciousness narrative while sometimes veering off into poetry. Decidedly not for the faint of heart, and even I found my mind wandering as I read it, which I guess is part of the point (note well Ulysses by James Joyce, which i still have yet to finish). However, if
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critics were to use "atmospheric" appropriately to describe novels, as usually they do not, this book would fit the bill. It's part of a series of novels by Arenas which he called the pent-agony, about the plight of the artist (in this case a poet) in Cuba after the Communist Revolution. Of course, I can't wait to read the other four books (Singing from the Well, The Assault, Color of Summer and The Palace of the White Skunks)! Show Less