Scott Edelman on the Streets of Havana

My education in the past, present and future of Cuban science fiction at Cubaficción 2002 occurred not only within conference rooms, but also out on the streets of Havana. The writers, editors, cartoonists, poets and other creative individuals were eager to show me their county and to explain its influence on their work.

The image of Havana above was shot from across the bay at the Castillo de los Tres Santos Reyes Magnos del Morro. Through the miracle of modern digital photography, I stitched together a dozen images to form a single panoramic image. Below are some less panaromic views of the city, taken as we wandered its streets and talked about science fiction.


Hotel Inglaterra, erected 1875
My home for the night
of November 24, 2002

Lonja del Comercio
Erected 1909

Terminal Sierra Maestra
in the Plaza
de San Francisco de Asis

Iglesia y Monasterio
de San Francisco de Asis
Erected 1608; rebuilt 1719-1738
Tallest belltower in Havana

Two fools
stand beneath
the belltower

Castillo Real de la Fuerza
Built between 1558 and 1577
The oldest extant colonial fortress
in the Americas

Looking down at the courtyard
of the Palacio del Segundo Cabo

The Palacio del Segundo Cabo
currently houses
the Cuban Book Institute

The Cuban sky as seen
from the courtyard of
the Palacio del Segundo Cabo
Erected 1772

The former
American Embassy

A view of Havana Bay
from the roof of the
former American Embassy

Catedral de San Cristobal
de La Habana
Erected 1748-1787

Street performers in the plaza
of the Catedral de
San Cristobal de La Habana

Plaza Vieja dates from
the 16th century and was
completely restored in 2000

Gazing up at an ornate building
at one corner of Plaza Vieja

A street sign long
the Avenida de la Indepencia
on the way to an evening
with the Spiral Writing Workshop

The tomb of chess champion
José Raúl Capablanca
in the Necropólis Cristóbal Colón

A pyramidal tomb at
the Necropólis Cristóbal Colón

With Charles N. Brown and
Jennifer A. Hall at
the paladar La Guarida

On the stairway up to
the paladar La Guarida

Typical ornate molding
of the buildings of Havana

Hotel Ambos Mundos
My home for the nights
of November 24-30, 2002
Hemingway began writing
For Whom the Bell Tolls in room 511

Palacio de los Capitanes Generales
From 1791 until 1898
the residence of
the Spanish captains general

In the Plaza de la Revolucion
in front of the
Ministry of the Interior

Estatua de Cristo
in Casablanca

Castillo de los Tres Santos Reyes
Magnos del Morro,
erected from 1589 through 1630,
as seen from the Malecón

Scott Edelman and Charles Brown
show themselves to be
an embarassment to all Americans
at the Castillo de los Tres Santos Reyes Magnos del Morro

The Castillo de los Tres Santos Reyes Magnos del Morro as seen while climbing within the lighthouse

From atop the lighthouse,
the Fortaleza de San Carlos
de la Cabana
can be seen in the distance

Risking vertigo
within the lighthouse

The lens of the lighthouse
at the Castillo de los Tres Santos
Reyes Magnos del Morro

Scott Edelman in the moat of
the Castillo de los Tres Santos Reyes Magnos del Morro

Havana as seen in the distance
from the rear of the Castillo
de los Tres Santos Reyes
Magnos del Morro

Hard to believe, but these aren't all. In fact, I took over 300 pictures while in Havana. (I took over 36 pictures at the Necropólis Cristóbal Colón alone.) The images above, however, should be more than enough to convey the flavor of Havana.

The Faces of Cuban Science-Fiction

Cuban Science-Fiction Cover Gallery

Scott Edelman Home Page