(Em)bodied Exiles in Contemporary Cuban Literature: Zoé Valdés and Mayra Montero A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Sarah Anne Miller Boelts IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Luis A. Ramos-García, Adviser June 2010 © Sarah Anne Miller Boelts, June 2010 Acknowledgements I would like to thank my adviser, Professor Luis Ramos-García, for his consistent support and encouragement from the beginning of this project. My other committee members, Ana Forcinito, Raúl Marrero-Fente, and Patrick McNamara have also been instrumental in this process. A special thank you goes to Zoé Valdés and Mayra Montero who so graciously invited me into their homes and shared their lives and their literature. It is my goal for their voices to shine through in this project. I do agree with Valdés that we are all “bailando con la vida,” in “este breve beso que es la vida.” Also, crucial to my success has been the unwavering presence of my Dissertation Support Group through the University of Minnesota Counseling and Consulting Services. Our biweekly meetings kept me on track and helped me to meet my goals while overcoming obstacles. I have learned more from this group of people than I could ever give back. I would be remiss if I did not thank my high school Spanish teacher, Ruth Lillie, for instilling a love of languages and cultures in me. Her continuous interest and passion for the Spanish language and Hispanic culture influenced me greatly as I continued with my college studies and study abroad opportunities. i Finally, my family has offered their constant encouragement and support. My husband, Tim, always gave me the time and space needed to complete this project, while helping in any way possible. From a young age, my parents, Rev. Bob and Suzie, provided me with opportunities to see the world and explore new cultures. For that, I will forever be grateful. My sister, Leah, was my frequent companion on trips to Mexico and pushed me to succeed in the way that only she could. My grandmother, Mickey, gave me my first opportunity to visit Mexico and practice my Spanish, and has continuously supported me through her kind words and prayers. I will never forget the weeks that we spent together in Chapala and Ajijic. My grandfather, Dr. Wray Brady, who passed away in November 2008, prompted me to follow in his footsteps and dedicate myself to academia. I always cherished his advice, even on the little things. I regret that he is not still with us today. ii Abstract This dissertation examines the distinct meanings of exile that embody Cuban women's experiences in the 20th and 21st centuries. This thesis centers on female-exiled subjects within the Cuban Diaspora. The focus is on two Cuban women writers living in exile, Zoé Valdés and Mayra Montero, noting the ways that exile constitutes a physical and emotional topos in their literature. Using exile theory along with feminist theory, this study analyzes the ways that these authors use women’s bodies in exile as a discursive terrain of liberation. My analysis situates these negotiations of gender within a broader nexus of political and cultural discourses, in which women’s struggles for recognition and equality intersect with complex issues of human rights and contested notions of Cuban identity. Valdés and Montero use their literature that focuses on women and their dreams as a way to oppose and critique their lack of power in Cuba and give women a voice in society. Through literary analysis and personal interviews with the authors, I demonstrate how women are placed in the center, away from the margins. While many studies center on Cuban diaspora writers in the United States, this study emphasizes those who have taken alternate routes, to Europe and the Caribbean. The novels by Valdés and Montero are in dialogue with other literary representations of Cuban exile, but emphasize their new places of residence. iii Table of Contents Abstract.............................................................................................................................. iii I. Introduction ......................................................................................................................1 A. Exile Writing.......................................................................................................1 B. The Body and Feminist Expression ..................................................................12 II. Chapter One: Diverse Views of Feminism in Cuba......................................................22 A. History of Feminist Movements up to the Cuban Revolution ..........................22 B. Women’s Involvement in Society since the Revolution ...................................32 C. Critiques of Feminism and Women’s Issues in Cuba .......................................45 D. Images of Cuban Women..................................................................................50 III. Chapter Two: Zoé Valdés: Imagining a Cuba with Physical and Emotional Exile ..........................................................................................................56 A. Exile and the Island...........................................................................................56 B. Women’s “situation” on the Island ...................................................................62 C. Mother/Daughter Relationships........................................................................74 IV. Chapter Three: Mayra Montero: Literary Bodies in Pain............................................82 A. Como un mensajero tuyo................................................................................... 86 B. Son de Almendra ............................................................................................... 96 iv C. El Capitán de los Dormidos............................................................................106 V. Chapter Four: Violations on the Body........................................................................114 A. Sexual Violence..............................................................................................120 B. Physical Violence............................................................................................127 C. Psychological Violence...................................................................................138 VI. Chapter Five: Reflections on the Self........................................................................145 A. An Interview with Zoé Valdés........................................................................145 B. The Interview with Mayra Montero................................................................162 C. Analysis of the Interviews with Valdés and Montero.....................................176 VII. Conclusions: Future Cuban Bodies ..........................................................................188 Bibliography ........................................................................................................196 v Introduction: Exile Writing The literature of exile written by Latin Americans became very prominent in the twentieth century and has carried over into the twenty-first. The political and social turmoil that the majority of Latin American countries has faced throughout the dictatorships and military rule is evident in the novels and short stories by various authors, some who have stayed in their respective countries and others who have left or have been forced to flee their homelands. In the particular case of Cuba, hundreds of thousands of citizens fled the country in waves after the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, due to the socialist ideology of the country’s new leaders. 1 Most of these exiles sought refuge in the United States, settling in large cities, most notably in Miami, Florida, where there are still outstanding numbers of exiles today. Many, but not all, of these exiles are dissidents and have joined groups of dissidents that are opposed to the socialist regime in Cuba.2 Other exiles traveled farther away, to Europe and the capital cities of Paris, Madrid, and Stockholm. It is important to note that the majority of the first wave of Cuban exiles was opposed to a leftist ideology, whereas exiles from other Latin American countries, such as Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile, criticized conservative military dictatorships and authoritarian governments. For many exiles, one of their outlets is writing, which is why so many exiles publish novels and stories. It becomes a passion, or an obsession in some cases, for them 1 Between 1959 and 1974, approximately 600,000 Cubans left the island, mostly those from the upper and middle classes (Wright 28). In 1980, there were 124,799 Cubans that departed from the Mariel port and in the summer of 1994, 35,000 more Cubans fled the island on rafts (Valdés, En fin, el mar 4-5). All in all, more than one million Cubans have gone into exile, representing a tenth of the island’s population. 2 These dissident groups are not as strong today as they were in the 1970’s and 1980’s. 1 to get their ideas down on paper. Although they may physically be in another country, the country of origin is the point of interest for these authors. Most exiles write as a way to resist and to remain visible and worthy (McClennen 121). Sophia McClennen, using one of Julia Kristeva’s phrases, remarks, “Insofar as exiles, like women, are subject to “the paternal order of genealogy” they too must use speech and writing as a means of resistance,