Novelist Cristina García’s 'Vanishing Maps' Revisits the Cuban Diaspora in Sequel to 'Dreaming in Cuban'

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 29 August 2023

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Cristina García’s new novel, “Vanishing Maps,” is a sequel to her widely acclaimed debut, “Dreaming in Cuban,” published 30 years ago. The novels follow the del Pinos, a Cuban family disconnected by political allegiances, borders, and immigration. In “Vanishing Maps” the family has scattered beyond Cuba and New York to distant corners of Berlin, Los Angeles, and Moscow. The younger generations are far removed from Cuba, but the island remains a central force in their longings for home and family. García, who was recently a visiting professor at University of San Francisco and resident playwright at Central Works Theater in Berkeley, joins us to talk about how her characters forge bonds and confront borders –- both real and imagined. Guests: Cristina García, author of eight novels including "Dreaming in Cuban," "A Handbook to Luck," "The Lady Matador’s Hotel," "King of Cuba," and "Vanishing Maps." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:58.8	From KQED.
1:09.6	From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Alexis Madrigal.
1:15.6	30 years ago, Christina Garcia celebrated debut novel Dreaming in Cuban, introduced the world to the Del Pinos,
1:22.2	a Cuban family separated by political allegiances and national borders.
1:26.6	Now Garcia has returned to the family for a book,
1:28.3	Vanishing Maps, that takes stock of the 20th century
1:31.3	through the fractured transnational lives of the extended family.
1:35.3	When a family has been pulled apart by the fierce clash of ideologies,
1:39.3	can the pieces be put back together?
1:41.3	Hauntings, reunions, reimaginings?
1:44.8	The wall fell and the Soviet Union dissolved.
1:47.6	But the past doesn't go quietly in this book or in this life.
1:51.1	Garcia joins us to talk about her career and this new novel right after this news.
2:05.7	Welcome to Forum. I'm Alexis Madrigal.
	...

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