João Cerqueira is the author of The Tragedy of Fidel Castro, the satirical novel recently reviewed on The American Culture.

Mr. Cerqueira has consented to answer a few questions.

Q: What prompted you to write The Tragedy of Fidel Castro?

A: I have always had an interest in the strange occurrence that took place in Fátima in 1917, when the Virgin Mary appeared to three Portuguese shepherd children, revealing to them several prophecies, including one that communism would end.

I have also been to Cuba on three occasions, where I was told stories by those who had experienced Fidel Castro’s regime firsthand. Some parts of the book, the demonstrations against the regime for example, were told to me by Havana citizens who fought the police.

They also told me the story of the execution of one of the nation’s heroes, General Arnaldo Ochoa (he is the inspiration behind the character Camilo Ochoa). So, the miracle of Fátima and my Cuban experiences inspired The Tragedy of Fidel Castro.

Q: The American Culture weblog concerns itself primarily with issues dealing with America’s way of life. How would you relate The Tragedy of Fidel Castro to the American culture?

A: I think The Tragedy of Fidel Castro relates to American culture because the book stands for political freedom and for humanitarian, or Christian, values. Although miracles are satirized – the Miracle of the Sun in Fátima, 1917 – I have still tried to show why I consider Jesus to be the most important figure in history.

On the other hand, the book’s main character, Fidel Castro, has defied the United States since 1959 and is one of the biggest opponents of the American way of life. He represents everything that American culture rejects. He is now a harmless old man, but during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 he was keen for Khrushchev to make a nuclear strike against the United States in the event of an invasion. America, and civilization, would no longer exist, and all because of Fidel Castro. We should not forget that.

Q: Could you tell us about how you did research for the book?

A: As I have said, my research involved travelling to Cuba – a beautiful country for anyone with a credit card. Besides the stories I was told, I also saw how many Cubans lived.

I met a Cuban girl who lived with her mother; both were school teachers. Their house was no more than a brick shack without a floor. They had almost no furniture, no hot water, and there were cockroaches everywhere – that’s why there are several references to such critters in the book. Life there could be absolute misery and this was not just because of the embargo. People in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro enjoy better living conditions.

Q: Do you have any projects in the works that you would like to tell us about?

A: I hope to publish The Second Coming of Christ to Earth this year. Here you could say that Jesus jumps from The Tragedy of Fidel Castro to experience other adventures. In this novel Jesus will face racial riots, radical ecologists and corrupt politicians.

Now, as before, man still wants to put him on a cross.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to say that we haven’t already discussed?

A: I would like to share the text I wrote as a guest post for a blog:  Books can kill you! (and beware of writers):  http://bagsbooksandbonjovi.blogspot.pt/

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Bibliography

Novels:

A CULPA É DESTAS LIBERDADES (BLAME IT ON TOO MUCH FREEDOM) – Pena Perfeita Edições, 2007

A TRAGÉDIA DE FIDEL CASTRO (THE TRAGEDY OF FIDEL CASTRO) – Saída de Emergência Edições, 2008

REFLEXÕES DO DIABO (DEVIL’S OBSERVATIONS) – Saída de Emergência, 2010

Non-fiction:

ARTE E LITERATURA NA GUERRA CIVIL DE ESPANHA (ART AND LITERATURE DURING THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR) – Prefácio Editora, Portugal 2004; Editora Zouk, Brasil, 2005

MARIA PIA: RAINHA E MULHER (MARIA PIA: THE QUEEN AND THE WOMAN) – João Azevedo Editores, 2007

JOSÉ DE GUIMARÃES – Beijing Today Art Museum, 2009, China

JOSÉ DE GUIMARÃES: ARTE PÚBLICA (JOSÉ DE GUIMARÃES: PUBLIC ART) – Instituto Politécnico de Viana, 2010

JOSÉ DE GUIMARÃES E O DRAGÃO – ORIENTE, OCIDENTE: MISCIGENAÇÕES (JOSÉ DE
GUIMARÃES AND THE DRAGON- ORIENT, OCIDENT: MISCEGENATION) – Faculdade de
Belas-Artes de Lisboa, 2010

Excerpts published in magazines:

http://www.contemporaryliteraryreviewindia.com/search/label/ClRI%20november
%202012

http://www.smashwords.com/extreader/read/236983/98/literary-lunesmagazineseptemberoctober-2012-black-and-white-edition

http://weblog.liberatormagazine.com/2012/09/varadero-prisoner-absolute-freedomcant.
html#more

http://www.dansemacabreonline.com/#!__dm-60-lazarus

http://toadsuckreview.org/index.php?s=Jo%C3%A3o+Cerqueira

http://www.allrightmagazine.com/books-and-reviews/fiction-fidel-castros-diary-17366

http://www.southasiamail.com/news.php?id=108654

Cuba chronicles:

http://weblog.liberatormagazine.com/2012/09/cuba-sex-lies-and-tourists.html#more

http://www.allrightmagazine.com/history/my-visit-to-cuba-a-day-at-the-museum-of-therevolution-17846/

Photos:

http://www.aestheticamagazine.com/directory