Reinaldo

Arenas: More

Than the Single

StoryBefore Night Falls directed

by Schnabel, Global Arenas

by Jacqueline Loss

Introduction to Arenas Born July 16 1943 in the rural Cuban

countryside

Joined rebel forces of Castro as a teenager

Moved to Havana after the triumph of the revolution

Published first novel in 1967 Celestino antes del alba

Left Cuba in 1980 through the Mariel boat lift

Arrived in Miami, then settled in New York City

Committed suicide on December 7th 1990

Context Context Context!

Batista’s Cuba- 1933- 1958

City vs. Country conditions during this time

Americas Imperial Arm

1959 Castro gains power

Approximately 1965-1968 UMAP (Military

Units to Aid Protection) labor camps for

“counterrevolutionaries” Sugar Cane

What is a counterrevolutionary?

Context Homosexuals (gay men), Counterrevolutionary

intellectuals, Jehovah's witnesses, insubordinate farmers

In Fidel’s words homosexuals were…

Sick

Characteristic of capitalism

Denounced homosexuals as agents of imperialism

Believed work in UMAP would make them “true revolutionary men”

Dentro de la Revolucion: Todo. Contra de la Revolucion: NADA

Intellectuals The Speech “Palabras a Los Intellectuales” 1961

Cautions Intellectuals about producing work that could be seen as “against” the revolution

Explained that the revolution won Cuba freedom and freedom of speech, and that any work that is anti revolutionary is therefore anti the freedom and undermines the well being and freedoms of the collective whole

Persecution of Intellectuals/artists

P.M Saba Cabrera Infante and Orlando Jimenez censored

PM PM 1:22

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0-8gfWzBa8&list=PL6E2F51428B583AEF

Bodies Represented Constraints

Connect to Arenas

Homosexual and intellectual/artist “The system has used any means necessary to

eradicate my existence.” Forced sending of manuscripts abroad

Before Night Falls as a Movie

What did you think of the film?

How was Cuban sexuality portrayed?

Were there parts that stood out to you?

Do you remember any important scenes

that depicted Arenas’ sexuality? How did

the movie’s portrayal of his sexuality differ

from or adhere to the texts we read for

Tuesday?

Symbolism

Reinaldo looking up at Hot Air Balloon vs.

Skyscrapers

Plants and nature in Cuba vs. NYC

The I <3 NY bag

Johnny Depp both as Bon Bon and

lieutenant Victor

Problematic Aspects Schnabel’s portrayal of Arenas and his sexuality Desexualized? In your face-ness? Why may this

be? Audience?

Schnabel's production of the film 10 years after his death

Power dynamics of Author and Author’s identity

The oversimplifying of a single story

Fidelity Criticisms

Commodification

The issues of artistic liberty Miami, Suicide

Problematic Aspects

Imperialist writing

Speaking for someone else- prosopopeia

vs. testimino

The danger of “rescuing” and “rescue

narratives”- “I feel I like I walked those

streets…”

Voyeurism- American desire to see Cuba

(the “forbidden fruit”)

Questions Do you think Schnabel’s rendition of Reinaldo

Arenas’ life was understandable? Outright Imperialist? Or necessary for filmic (American) audiences?

Loss prompts, “Whose cultural memory is privileged if we accept the rescue paradigm? In what aspects of consumerism lead us to buy into the narrative of rescue and demise that coincides with the markets whims.”

What do you think?

Problematic Aspects

Cutting of scenes at particularly chosen

moments

Formation of relationships and sexual

encounters in film

English in Cuba and Spanish in U.S

Nosotros vs. Ustedes (Us vs. Them)-

touches back to voyeurism

The Danger of a Single Story

Using a single story to define someone’s many stories (Arenas as a writer vs. googlesearch as poet)

Using a single story to characterize a people (homosexuals, Cubans etc.)

Can you think of any other stories that are used as “universals” for a group/s of people?

Homogenization and absorption vs. plurality and diversity

The Danger of a Single Story

Novelist Chimamanda Adichie, “The

Danger of a Single Story.”

http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_a

dichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html

Works Cited http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~jidomin

g/images/jid_batista.PDF

http://www.glbtq.com/literature/arenas_r.html

Global Arenas: Narrative and Filmic Translation of Identity. Jacqueline Loss

Before Night Falls. Julian Schnabel

P.M by Saba Cabrera Infante

The Danger of a Single Story ChimamandaAdichie