¿Cómo relacionarse con la crítica? Reflexiones sobre Presiones y diamantes de Virgilio Piñera.

Abstract

In this text I explore Virgilio Piñera's position with regard to the notion of criticism. I argue in this text that Piñera deliberately risked repercussions in 1961, when he spoke up about the presence and effects of fear in revolutionary Cuba.

I reflect on the writer's critical position through the analysis of his novel Presiones y diamantes, a novel which is of particular significance in this context for two reasons. First, it illustrates and explains Piñera's argument for the need for self-expression within the revolution. Second, because, ironically, it meant Piñera's definite fall from grace, since the authorities interpreted the novel as an attack on the revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.