Gatekeeper Press
The Painting: A Novel Based on a True Story
Key Metrics
- Michael Reid
- Gatekeeper Press
- Paperback
- 9781662924941
- 8.5 X 5.5 X 0.86 inches
- 1.08 pounds
- History > Caribbean & West Indies - Cuba
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
Michael Reid has written a powerful story for our time. Based on the events of Roberto Ramos's astonishing life in-and eventual escape from-the island of Cuba, The Painting, is a fictionalized account of Roberto Ramos's life from 1982 until 1992.
Growing up under the Castro regime, Ramos learns over time how Fidel has betrayed the rev- olution. This is the story of Ramos' outrage at this betrayal, and the extreme price he pays for expressing it. The brashness of his defiance is breathtaking and fuels a plot that grips the read- er in continuous suspense. The tension mounts up until the last page, where the suspense finally yields to human triumph over oppression.
There is a crucial artistic element to this story as well. Along the way, and through the moment of his escape to the United States, Ramos is drawn to the works of the great Cuban masters- especially the tradition of pre-revolution Cuban painting-as an outlet for his emotions and his growing frustrations with the Castro government, a system he finds increasingly intolerable as the years pass and his distress grows.
In a journey that is terrifying, yet also a triumph of the human spirit, Ramos reveals the power of one individual to fight back against an unjust political system. In doing so, he rescues his own identity, and the artistic heritage that defines him.
The story of Roberto Ramos is a compelling personal tale, but the power of this book lies just as much in the telling of it. Reid captures the de- tails of a remarkable odyssey and weaves them into an expansive drama, creating a parable for our times. It's Reid's keen awareness of detail that shows us how to honestly value the richness of life, even amidst brutal struggles. The result is a story for every person who treasures freedom...and life itself.
Author Bio
Michael Reid writes the Bello column on Latin America and is the newspaper’s writer-at-large for the region. He is based in Madrid. He joined The Economist in 1990 as Mexico and Central America correspondent and in 1994 changed to cover consumer industries. In 1996 he moved to São Paulo to be the bureau chief and in 1999 returned to London as Americas Editor, a post he held until December 2013. His books include “Forgotten Continent: The Battle for Latin America’s Soul” (2007) and “Brazil: The Troubled Rise of a Global Power” (April 2014), both published by Yale University Press. Mr Reid is a frequent speaker on Latin American and Iberian affairs, to business, academic and public-policy audiences.
He has given evidence to the Foreign Relations Committee of the US Senate and to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the British House of Commons. He is also a frequent guest on television, radio and print outlets in Britain, the United States and Latin America, including CNN, BBC World TV, NPR, Globo (Brazil) and El País (Spain).
Source: The Economist
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