Ottawa – Cuba was present this October 4th at the VII Ibero-American Book Fair, which, as usual, took place within the framework of Hispanic Heritage Month in Ontario and Latin American Heritage Month in Canada, and which on this occasion was held at Saint Paul University in the Canadian capital.
For the first time in the history of these events, the Embassy of Cuba participated with a stand, which was presided over by Canadian journalist, researcher, writer, and lecturer Arnold August and his book "Fidel Castro: A Canadian's Vision." The stand also featured classic titles of Cuban literature, such as Cecilia Valdés by Cirilo Villaverde; From the Sun to the Radiance by José María Heredia; Las Honradas y Las Impuras by Miguel de Carrión; The Kingdom of This World by Alejo Carpentier; Garden by Dulce María Loynaz; Island in Full by Virgilio Piñera; among many others that were very well received by the visiting public and were given away free of charge.
At noon, in one of the university's rooms set up for the Fair, and with the presence of Cuban Ambassador Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz and other members of the Embassy, August presented his book and reviewed the 80 years of uninterrupted diplomatic relations between the Island and Canada, the historical figures of Fidel Castro and Pierre Trudeau and the friendship that united them; as well as the role of the United States and its aggressive policy against Cuba.
On the preceding day, October 3, the Embassy of Cuba hosted the Welcome Reception for this seventh edition, which was attended by authors participating in the fair, members of the diplomatic corps, academics, among other personalities.
August holds a Master's degree in Political Science from McGill University in Montreal. He is the author of other titles such as "Democracy in Cuba 1997-98," "Cuba and Its Neighbors: Democracy in Motion," and "Cuba-US Relations: Obama and Beyond." He is a contributor to the multi-state channel TeleSur. In 2013, he received the Félix Elmuza Distinction, the highest decoration awarded to national and foreign journalists at the proposal of the Presidency of the Union of Journalists of Cuba (UPEC); and in 2017, he received the Medal of Friendship, an award granted by the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP).