Havana

Havana was a destination in Federico García Lorca’s travels in 1930 and a place where he continued his writing. He arrived from New York on 7 March, worked on The Public and Ode to Walt Whitman, and returned to Spain at the end of June. The account identifies Havana as a significant stop in this period of movement and creative activity, but does not describe particular locations or events within the city.

Lorca’s Arrival and Stay

Lorca left New York for Cuba and arrived in Havana on 7 March 1930. The stay followed a year in which he had travelled to New York, studied English at Columbia University, and worked on several projects. In Havana, his activity remained literary: he worked on The Public and Ode to Walt Whitman. The evidence gives no further itinerary within Cuba or details about his daily life in the city.

Return to Spain and Place in His Career

Lorca returned to Spain at the end of June 1930. Havana therefore marks a temporary stage between his time in New York and his resumption of work in Spain. Later in the year, The Shoemaker’s Wonderful Wife premiered in Madrid on 24 December. The record connects Havana to Lorca’s wider pattern of travel and work, while offering no evidence that the city itself shaped a particular scene or setting in his plays.

Later Context

In 1936, Margarita Xirgu presented Yerma to enthusiastic audiences in Havana on 16 February, during a season that began after she left Spain in January. This later theatrical visit is distinct from Lorca’s own stay six years earlier, but it shows Havana again appearing in the account of the circulation of his work beyond Spain. In the broader political context of 1936, Lorca completed The House of Bernarda Alba in June, then left Madrid for Granada in July as political unrest continued; these events provide context for his final year, not for his earlier experience in Havana.