Cuban-born author Michel Myr Jorge discusses his two novels, Escape from Cuba and Suriname Undercover, both rooted in his real escapes from the island. He fled Cuba twice: in 2015 through eight countries, and again in 2019 to Suriname, where he witnessed Cuban influence abroad. Jorge wrote his debut novel on a laptop missing keys, using pirated Microsoft Word.
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This is Author to Author. I'm Tim Trott. This channel is about authors for authors. As a writer, I like to discover how other authors find their inspiration and motivation. The author is Michel Myr Jorge. The book is Escape from Cuba. It's a novel, but like any good fiction, there is some truth behind it. The author really did escape from Cuba twice. Escape from Cuba is about survival, revolution, and a journey to freedom. A saga of Cold War era tyranny with sharp, unsettling echoes of today's global struggles for democracy. You'll find more information in the description below this video. In a moment, we'll meet our guest author. Author to Author is supported by Cybershoot.com, the right host for your website.
Selling what they learned from me. The price was never really nothing. I just didn't see the bill. Now I'm trapped inside this cycle. Every message cost me more. What I thought would set me free keeps Hola, ¿cómo estás?
Were you born— you were born in Havana, Cuba.
Yes, Tim. I was born in Guanabacoa, a small town near Havana, Cuba.
Were you into books when you were growing up?
Yes, since I was a child, I loved reading books. When I grew up, I read more books. I learned about the world from them and not from the Communist Party propaganda.
What kind of books did you read?
Read anything I could get in my hands. I remember Greek classics, Herodotus' Dali Karnasso, it's an ancient history, literature from around the world. The most of these books come from the sidewalk vendor in Holavana, you know. Two sellers in particular eventually sold me a real treasure. I remember Alan Smith and the Wheel of the Night show. One American is Fauna Lighting in August. And I have two, this time is from Dal Carnegie, I have this. This, um, I save more than my passport when I cross the river. I'm trying to get dry, you know. This book is my partner for long time. Look, it's very old books. This kind of book save to the censured in Cuba. This is an old book, Tim. This is from Argentina. It's printed in Argentina in 1948. Wow. It's very, uh, old book.
It's as old as I am. Tell me about your book Escape from Cuba. What is it about?
Escape from Cuba is a, is a history of freedom and defense against Castro communist dictatorship. It's a blueprint of what can happen to any Cuban in the island. It's, um, it's a hope so many there dream of in Cuba.
Who are the main characters? Are they based on real people?
Alberto and Andrés are a combination of several people I know or heard throughout my life. Um, Erasmo is only one person. It's a real person. It's a bad, bad person I know in Cuba.
When did you begin writing Escape from Cuba?
Uh, a better history, uh, began and tried to leave, uh, after I tried to leave to Cuba and Mexico sent me back. I went throughout 8 countries and traveled over 2,000 miles, uh, by road, boat, and jungle. That helped me understand better and write my history. I take notes in a notebook while I was traveling, but I began writing the book in 2016 after being deported from Mexico. I put all my feelings in the book and also the treat I got from the communists when arriving to the airport in Havana. I used that bad moment and try to, to create something good thing.
The book mirrors parts of your own life. When, uh, let's go back. When did you first flee to South— you fled originally, you got away and you escaped to South America, is that correct?
Yes, in 2015 I went for Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and finally Mexico. In Mexico, the police stopped the bus around Mexico City and demanding a bribe. They take me in detention center in Puebla. It's a very corrupt place run by a woman. And in this place I wait weeks, maybe a couple of months I don't remember exactly, it's a long time ago. I was deported back to Cuba.
Your first escape lasted only about a year. What happened?
The authorities restrict me. One officer who interviewed me when I back to Cuba, he interviewed me after my deportation and say I couldn't leave Cuba again. It was regulated, I say before. It's bad situation. Any change of address, I be report to the police. It's bad situation.
When did you escape for the last, the final time?
4 years later. I leave 4 years later. I went to Suriname. I lived there for almost 2 years. That time in Suriname helped me understand Latin America better and more about other cultures. Suriname is a multicultural country.
When you went back to Cuba after being deported from Mexico, you actually started writing the book on an old laptop. And you said it was missing some keys. Do I understand you actually used Microsoft Word?
Yes, I write in a very old mini laptop. She lost some keys, many keys, and try to use the case and command. For the other case. In Cuba, um, everyone use a, a pirated copy of Microsoft, even the government in their office.
A pirated copy of Microsoft?
Yeah, pirated copy. Sorry for my English.
You managed to leave, you said again, in 2019. This time you went to Suriname. Uh, you started to describe what that country is like. What, what is Suriname like?
I like the country. It's, uh, these are really nice people. It's a good country, but the, the police were strongly influenced by Cuba. On the internet, there were people working for the Cuban government. Even some Cubans living there support communism, try to change Suriname people's opinion. I had an argument with some of them and So after 2 years, I left.
Your second book is Suriname Undercover. What is it about? Is Alberto in that story as well?
Yes, Suriname Undercover is a continuation of the history of Alberto, but this time he working for the CIA in Paramaribo City, is the capital of Suriname. Most of the, most of, of The part of the book, uh, developed in there, in this place.
What motivates you to keep writing?
I think, uh, the word is the best weapon for the people. The main is our rescue, buying one by one, and knowing names like politician like say is that you were a history teacher, I understand, in Cuba.
Uh, how did I get— did that have a way of getting you in trouble with the government?
Teaching don't bring me a new problems, Tim. Uh, you just, um, saying of, uh, always I am a critic of the system. Not only in private, in the street too. And that defined my life. I was very young.
Can I ask you what would happen to you if you ever went back to Cuba?
If I went back to Cuba? Nothing good thing. Cuba right now is a like a Mordor, you know, the Lord of the Rings. No, no light, half light, no clean water, um, no food, repression. They have orcs in uniform, the police and all the repression government. And I mean, Cuba have one dark lord.
One thing that seems to go together is authoritarianism and corruption. Is that— is that— that's a lot of what you describe in the book is the corruption. Is that— is that a fact? Is that how it is?
Yeah, corruption is the law of Cuba. The government, police, military, uh, system— all the system is corruption. But for save the communist system, they sustained in the corruption, in reparation and reparation.
Thank you very much for being with us on Author to Author.
It's my pleasure, Tim. Thank you for the opportunity.
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