The thirteen stories in this book were written between 1946 and 1997. The Cuban Revolution occurred in 1959. In some of the stories, history is unmistakably present, while in others it remains more in the background. Current themes include: planned economy versus exploitation; revolutionary free love versus prostitution; Latin American versus North American pop music; state-mandated social optimism versus private drug culture. The characters are essentially the same as ever: man and woman, boy and girl, neighbor and neighbor, hero and villain. The narratives are told from observation, memory, or imagination, straightforwardly or with double meanings, melancholic or smiling. Authors: Reinaldo Arenas, Onelio Jorge Cardoso, Manuel Cofiño, Eliseo Diego, Jésus Díaz, Eduardo Heras León, Ruber Iglesias, Ángela Martínez, Miguel Mejides, Senel Paz.