Before Night Falls | 
so-soFirst of all, I'm glad to have read this. However, it was a very challenging book to get through. Arenas, who was a gay writer in Cuba during the Batista and Castro regimes and a survivor of an impoverished youth, writes about his life candidly. His descriptions of childhood were often disturbing. The anecdotes of his sexual encounters bored me to death. These were sometimes peppered with braggadocio, and an often machismo tone, which didn't help.
psalva However, it's important to remember that this was someone who grew up in impoverished conditions and was continually oppressed. In his own words, “I had never been allowed to be a real human being in the fullest sense of the word.“ With that in mind, it becomes understandable that he would focus on what brought him the most joy in life, his sexual encounters, as well as relationship with literature and the sea. 2y
psalva In fact, when you look closer at this book, you become aware of the lyrical and melancholic tones that Arenas is evoking, and those moments become quite poignant. Overall, he seems to have had an unfulfilled and tragic life. I would recommend this book to those who want to learn more about Arenas as a writer and to those who would like to know more about gay culture in Cuba during this time, especially in the literary world. 2y
psalva Just know going in that his was not a happy life, nor a full one, and be mindful of the context of his situation as you read. 2y
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