Hemingway’s Havana

Cuba is a country that captivated celebrated author Ernest Hemingway. To this day, the magic is alive, writes Sandeep Hor, after a visit to its colourful capital, Havana

Hemingway is one of us,”says our tour guide Julian while escorting me through ‘La Habana Vieja’, the older part of Cuba’s 500-year-old capital city, Havana. Julian is not wrong.

Celebrated American author Ernest Hemingway lived in Havana for more than three decades between 1928 and 1960, wrote many of his outstanding novels while there including The Old Man and the Sea, which won him the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and the Nobel Prize in 1954, and enjoyed an epic life in unending motion in the Caribbean island.

Affectionately nicknamed ‘Papa’ by fellow Cubans, he used to consider himself a ‘Cubano sato’ — a garden variety Cuban. “I love this country and I feel like home,” he quoted this in one of his writings.

Legendary revolutionist Fidel Castro was one of his great admirers. They went together for marlin fishing, which was one of the many things that drew Hemingway to Cuba.

Old Quarter

When revolution ended in 1959, triumphant Castro allowed two things of American origin to continue in the new era — legacies of Hemingway and big American cars. Like cigars and rum, they became synonymous with Cuba and lures for travellers who had kept this amazing destination in their bucket list for years until doors opened for tourism in the recent times.

Its sights, sounds and smell captivated Hemingway. Nine decades later, it does the same to me when I step on his paths through the atmospheric La Habana Vieja.

Though faded over the years, the multi-coloured facades of the two-storied buildings lining the cobblestone alleyways give the silhouette a colourful splash.

The washings of the day displayed in their Moorish style wrought iron balconies add variety to the panorama. So do the yellows and greens of the 50’s Buicks and Chevys parked along the kerb. The riot of colours in every direction presents a landscape utterly arresting.

When eyes get tired, I sit down in a small café where the aroma of coffee and cigars ignite the mind, while sounds of high-pitch music, a combo of Spanish guitar and African drums, energise the body.

My experience can be best described as a sensory overdose. The sensations escalate when wandering around the four ‘Plazas’ or grandiose squares which dominate La Habana Vieja.

It was established by the Spanish conquistadors in 1514 after Columbus discovered Cuba in 1492.

American cars from the 50s.

Glorious era

Like in any Spanish influenced settlement, these squares are surrounded by architecturally judicious, 16th to 19th century built churches, monuments, stately mansions and a cluster of colonial period houses where once the bourgeois dwelled.

Now some of them are hotels, restaurants and bars. Said to be one of the finest in America, this architectural palette show styles of almost every era from intricate baroque to glitzy art deco and neoclassical. Though much of it is in a dilapidated condition, they stand as a physical reminder of Cuba’s glorious period, which spans across almost five centuries.

During this period, Havana went through many phases from European conquest and assaults by notorious pirates to slavery, pseudo-independence, revolution and socialism.

I visit the Museo de la Revolucion to find out more about Cuba’s history and the revolution which changed the fate of the nation.

When Hemingway first arrived, Cuba was independent but everything was controlled by the US. Post-WWI, an increase in prices of sugar made Cuba very rich and Havana became one of the finest cities in America.

New suburbs mushroomed beyond the limits of the old city and grandiose buildings like Capitolio Nacional resembling Washington’s Capitol Building, and Hotel Nacional imitating Florida’s plush Breakers Hotel, were added to the architectural outfit. The city, only 145 km across the horizon from the US shore in Florida, became a playground for the rich and fun-loving Americans until Castro and fellow comrades ousted US-backed military dictator Fulgencio Batista.

Old fashioned Habaneros.

Socially vibrant

Havana’s soulful and flashy social scene fitted very well with the flamboyant lifestyle of Hemingway. He initially stayed in the pink Ambos Mundos Hotel which still exists with full colours. From his upper floor room, he used to see the famous Catedral de la Habana and his boat Pilar at the nearby harbour, guarded against invaders in the 16th century Morro Castle. He regularly visited the nearby bars, in particular, La Bodeguita del Medio for a mojito and El Floridita for a daiquiri, both being rum-fuelled cocktails.

I don’t miss a stop at these famous joints, not just being a Hemingway fan but more to get a feel of Havana during its heyday.

In 1940, Hemingway moved to Finca Vigia, his home for the next 20 years. Located just outside urban limits, this plush property is now a pilgrimage site for his fans.

Everything inside has been left untouched since his departure from Cuba in 1960.

After winning the coveted Nobel Prize, he wrote from here, “This is a prize that belongs to Cuba because my work was both thought up and written in Cuba.”

Fidel proposed the house as a museum. I think it’s more than that; it’s like his novels that always characterise a soul, whether it be of a human or a city.

Horse-drawn carriages are a common sight on the streets.