The autobiography of Cuba's finest poet, whose condemnation by the Castro regime became a cause celebre. This is a memoir not only of one of Cuba's best-known contemporary poets and novelists ( Legacies: Selected Poems , LJ 1/1/82; Heroes Are Grazing in My Garden , LJ 9/15/84) but also of the major literary personalities of the 20th century, from Sartre to Garcia Marquez. The book spans Padilla's career, from his ardent early support of the revolution to his subsequent imprisonment and ostracism by the Castro regime. The Padilla affair of 1968, when the Castro government would not permit Padilla to accept the international Writers' Union poetry prize, became a cause celebre for American and European writers, through whose intervention Padilla now lives in the United States. Worthy reading for those interested in contemporary literature. - Mary Margaret Benson, Linfield Coll. Lib., McMinnville, Ore. Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. Heberto Padilla and his wife, poet Belkis Cuza Male, divided their time between Princeton, New Jersey, and Madrid, Spain.