Pathfinder books win widespread interest at Havana Book Fair
Havana, Cuba—Tens of thousands of people streamed through the Havana International Book Fair for 10 days starting February 15, 2024. The annual event is Cuba’s largest cultural festival, with literature displays, poetry readings, art exhibits, film showings, theater, dance, and music.
The Pathfinder Press stand at the fair was a center for nonstop discussion, as it has been for a quarter century. Hundreds came looking for books about the crisis-wracked world today, the history of the Cuban Revolution, and the challenges facing working people in Cuba, the United States and worldwide.
Among the titles that drew the most interest and the highest sales was the new and expanded version of Che Guevara on Economics and Politics in the Transition to Socialism.
A visitor bought Socialism on Trial, a book which contains the testimony of James P. Cannon, who was framed for opposing Washington’s drive to enter World War II. She said, “I want to know the history of the U.S. from the point of view of the working class.”
Dozens picked up the Jewish Question: A Marxist Interpretation because they wanted to understand the roots of the persecution of Jews.
Interest in books on the fight for women’s emancipation was high. One University of Havana student bought Cosmetics, Fashions, and the Exploitation of Women explaining, “women have made huge strides in Cuba, but there is greater pressure on women to think that beauty is something that can be painted on.”
She and others appreciated the quality of Pathfinder’s books.- Pathfinder Press
