Manuel Ballagas

My blogs

Gender	Male
Industry	Publishing
Occupation	Author, editor, publishing executive, media consultant
Location	Miami, Florida, United States
Introduction	I was born in Havana, the son of a well-known poet. I published my first piece of fiction in a Cuban literary magazine at 15. I was about to publish my first book at 17, when Fidel Castro himself ordered the publishing house closed. I was a film critic for Cuban radio from 1968 until 1973, when I was arrested for political reasons. In the Spring of 1980, I came to the United States with my wife and child. In America, I relaunched my journalistic career. In 2005, I was hired to launch from scratch the first Spanish-language publication of The Tampa Tribune. Before that, I worked a combined 19 years for The Miami Herald and The Wall Street Journal. I have published the novel Descansa cuando te mueras and Newcomer, a memoir. I have just published the soon to be famous novel Pájaro de cuenta.
Interests	Literature, politics, cinema, Internet and new technologies
Favorite Movies	Vertigo, Cool Hand Luke, 400 Blows, Maltese Falcon, Citizen Kane, Blazing Saddles
Favorite Music	Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Joan Manuel Serrat, Blood, Sweat & Tears
Favorite Books	Don Quixote, The Catcher in the Rye, I, the Jury, La Fiesta del Chivo, Cambio de Piel, Trilogía Sucia de La Habana, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A la Recherche du Temps Perdu, El Proceso, Darkness at Noon

What's the best time you've ever had licking stamps?

Don't know. I haven't licked a stamp in years. But I can tell you a couple other things I've licked. LOL. Just kidding.