Leonardo Padura discusses Cuban reality and literary challenges

Cuban author Leonardo Padura has discussed the dramatic and 'dystopian' reality of contemporary Cuba, noting that the country's current hardships—including power outages and food shortages—provide significant literary material. Padura, creator of the Mario Conde detective saga, revealed that his upcoming novel is set in 2025 and features a 70-year-old Conde.

Padura noted that while the economic crisis fuels his creativity, it severely hinders the distribution of his work within Cuba. He stated that his last six books have not been published on the island due to a lack of paper and a perceived lack of will to publish them. He also observed that the average salary makes importing books economically impossible for most citizens.

Reflecting on international relations, Padura argued that current policies aimed at the Cuban government often result in the suffering of the Cuban people rather than regime change. He is currently in Spain to participate in the Cosmopoética festival and to receive the Liber 2026 Prize from the Federación de Gremios de Editores de España.