Celebrated non-fiction author Mark Kurlansky painted a portrait of Havana with love and knowledge, based on a variety of sources and his own impressions. Frequently visiting this city with a 500-year history for 30 years, he vividly notices the dramatic changes taking place here. His book is dedicated to the history, literature, music, humor, cuisine of the Cuban capital and the personalities associated with it. This is a tribute to a great city, but dressed in rags.

“There is a lot of controversy about Havana, including because in Havana controversy is a way of life. However, almost everyone agrees that there is no other city like it on earth. How did Havana become so different from other cities? Historians point to another uprising or riot that shaped the city, but in fact, the main quality of Havana is the process of change itself. No other place in the world has such a story of upheaval and change. Change is one of the fundamental conditions of life here.” (Mark Kurlansky)