Celia Cruz, from Cuba to the world

"As soon as I entered the hotel where we were staying, my Mexican colleague Paco Ignacio Taibo II surprised me with the best possible gift: four or five copies of my recently published novel Pasado Perfecto, which, given the impossibility of getting it published in Cuba, had finally been published by a very modest collection at the Mexican University of Guadalajara."

"Tito Puente (1923 - 2000) and Celia Cruz (1925 - 2003) at the Lincoln Center, in New York, on December 12, 1992.Jack Vartoogian (Getty Images) More than 30 years have elapsed since that concert, and even today I close my eyes and recall images: Celia Cruz, the Cuban guarachera, now crowned the empress of salsa, overpowering the stage with her voice, her movements, her Creole grace, her sequined dress"

Arrival in Cancun occurred in November 1991 to cover a newly established Caribbean Culture Festival. A Mexican colleague, Paco Ignacio Taibo II, presented four or five copies of Pasado Perfecto, a novel published by a modest collection at the Mexican University of Guadalajara after being impossible to publish in Cuba. The recipient felt exultant at seeing months of solitary effort transformed into a permanent object. During the festival, a Willie Colón concert preceded the civil wedding of the artist known as El Malo de la salsa, co-creator of Siembra with Rubén Blades. Celia Cruz performed with Tito Puente's band and dominated the stage with voice, movement, Creole grace, and a sequined dress.

Read at english.elpais.com