Although the government lets the independents operate, it keeps tabs on them. Martinez said security agents have repeatedly stopped him on the street to ask what books the library stocks and which of them he has read there. The independent librarians can't buy many books themselves in these economic hard times, and depend on donations from Cubans and foreigners. Even if they had the money, the availability of both classics and new titles depends on the government, which controls book distribution. Still, Cubans somehow have always managed to beat the system, regularly passing from hand to hand the hottest titles brought in by friends or relatives, even duplicating them if they can find a photocopier.
People can read what they want.
Colas said he stocks some works by those two authors in his own library in the eastern city of Las Tunas. He and Delgado belong to the Independent Libraries of Cuba Project, which Colas formed in March 1998 and now counts 62 separate libraries across the island, all in private homes. Culture should not be subject to ideological prejudices. The Associated Press . All rights reserved.