When Akashic Books put out ‘ “Miami Noir,” an anthology about the heavily Latino town, local author Achy Obejas noticed something: there was only one Cuban writer. When she playfully suggested to the publishing company that they give Havana a shot, they—much to her surprise—said “go for it,” leading to “Havana Noir,” which she edited, featuring eighteen stories of sex, crime and Castro. “There are people on and off the island,” Obejas says of her writers. “Some people are sympathetic to the revolution, some people are very unsympathetic to the revolution.” Editing is one thing, but Obejas also had to translate thirteen of the stories into English, a difficult task even for the Cuban-born writer. “It’s not only translating the actual words,” she says, “it’s also finding the context and making choices about how to define certain things.” Obejas’ favorite story of the bunch? Miguel Mejides’ “Nowhere Man,” which she says is an “absolute tragedy…and yet you’re cracking up laughing.” It’s a busy month for Obejas, whose first book of poetry, “This is What Happens in Our Other Life” is due out in November. She discusses “Havana Noir” October 18 at The Book Cellar.
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