Author: Huber Matos
- Non-Fiction
- Editorial Tusquets
- ISBN: 9786074210743
- Release Date: 09-09-2014
Synopsis
The triumph of the Cuban Revolution culminated in 1959 with the entrance of the victorious guerillas into Havana. Three commanders led the march: Fidel Castro, Camilo Cienfuegos and Huber Matos. Nine months later Huber Matos fell from Castro's graces and, after a brief trial, was condemned to twenty years in jail, of which he served the entire term. How the Night Arrived, which according to the judges gives the public "unarguable testimonial value," has received the 14th Comillas Biography Award in the autobiography and memoirs category. It is an honor for Tusquets Editores to have the opportunity to give a voice, which has up till now been unjustly silenced, to this privileged witness to one of the most controversial and mythical events of the 20th century. Cienfuegos' death in an airplane crash was never fully investigated. From the famous triumphant photograph only Castro is left on the island, having remained in power for more than forty years.
El triunfo de la Revolución cubana culminó en 1959 con la entrada en La Habana de la guerrilla victoriosa. Tres comandantes encabezaban la marcha: Fidel Castro, flanqueado por Camilo Cienfuegos y Huber Matos. Nueve meses más tarde, este último caía en desgracia y, tras un juicio sumario, era condenado a veinte años de cárcel, que cumplió íntegramente. Cómo llegó la noche, de un «indiscutible valor testimonial» según el jurado, ha obtenido el XIV Premio Comillas de biografía, autobiografía y memorias, y es un honor para Tusquets Editores tener la oportunidad de dar la palabra a un testigo privilegiado de uno de los acontecimientos más controvertidos y mitificados del siglo xx, cuya voz disidente quedó injustamente silenciada. Muerto Cienfuegos en un accidente de aviación nunca esclarecido, de la célebre fotografía triunfal sólo Castro queda en la isla, en el poder desde hace más de cuarenta años...
About the author
Huber Matos was born in 1918 in Yara, Oriente Province to a humble family. He graduated from the Santiago de Cuba Normal School for Teachers and in 1944 obtained a PhD in pedagogy from the University of Havana. His profession as a rural teacher exposed him to the poverty and difficult conditions people in the countryside live in, which led him to become involved in politics at a young age. His participation became more active four years after Fulgencio Batista's 1952 coup when he joined the guerrillas and quickly became one of their most charismatic leaders. He was responsible for the taking of the city of Santiago, the second most important in the country and held important roles alongside Fidel Castro until he came to power in 1959. He later formed part of the initial revolutionary government but nine months after their triumphant entrance into Havana profound ideological differences regarding the totalitarian orientation Castro's policy had taken on precipitated his trial and prison sentence. During his time in Cuban prison Huber Matos endured all types of physical and psychological torture and was a witness to and protagonist of the harassment suffered by political prisoners in the cells and dungeons assigned to them. On October 21, 1979, only after having served his entire sentence, was he set free and handed over to a commission sent to Havana by the Costa Rican government, country where he was finally reunited with his family. He currently lives in Miami.
Available also through PERSEUS DISTRIBUTION by August 19, 2014
