Product Description

Sexy, sordid and sleazy, Tropical Animal brings to mind the likes of Miller and Bukowski but is unmistakably, and inimitably, it's own thing. Pursued by Gloria, a proud and sophisticated prostitute on a mission to curb his predatory instincts, Pedro Juan is holed-up in his crumbling Havana apartment, painting. An invitation to Sweden, seems to offer him a way out. However he soon finds himself haunted by memories of Gloria and their wild sex together, and increasingly uninspired by his new environment. Does Pedro Juan, legendary sexual conquistador finally have to admit that the game is over? Or do his hedonistic instincts have juice enough to keep him active yet?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #96793 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Review
'Grotesquely compelling... Gutierrez appears destined to become a cult writer.' Times Literary Supplement

Cuban poet and novelist Gutierrez (Dirty Havana Trilogy, 2002, not reviewed) takes another tropical-flavored stab at the old-fashioned cockmansroman. In his youth, Pedro Juan was christened the man with the "golden" member, and, at 50, he's still got it. Within the first few pages, he has phone sex with Agneta, a Swedish woman he seduced with naked photographs; pontificates on the political good of sleeping with black women; absentmindedly fondles the "mental defective" downstairs neighbor in the lift ("she says very little, but she groans well") and dreams about stimulating a male monkey. Enter Gloria, a 29-year-old Havana mulatta, who alternately begs papi to whip and impregnate her, and buys him rum and beach trips with the proceeds from paying customers. Pedro Juan is certain that she's the subject of his second novel and, perhaps, his future wife. But when the Swede offers him a flimsy academic fellowship, as well as her substantial female companionship, Gloria, a professional colleague, understands. Thus Pedro Juan undertakes a merry international caper at waist-level, while spilling hard-won truths, such as race-based differences in crotch odors; the erotic necessity of sweat and armpit hair; why women prefer men who beat them and why intellectuals are bad in bed. But disappointment lies ahead: Despite having large Scandinavian breasts, the Swede is reluctant to participate in many bedroom activities, eats regular meals (mostly bread and salmon), drinks tea during the rum hour, and even requests warm milk after a long night of clubbing. The Swede, for her part, becomes a little queasy when Pedro Juan describes coupling with barnyard animals and lesbians (who love to be sodomized). He marvels that she just doesn't get it, chucks that damn chilly Swede, and warms up next to Gloria when she is, you know, free. Gloria sweetly rolls a roomful of sailors and comes back with enough pocket money for the month. Could it be time to settle down? Could be, love, could be. An exuberant attempt to go where many, many men have gone before. (Kirkus Reviews)

About the Author
Pedro Juan Gutierrez began his working life at the age of eleven, as an ice-cream vendor and newsboy. The author of several published works of poetry, he lives in Havana, where he is employed as a magazine journalist.

Customer Reviews

The Real Cuba
I loved this book. It's not a wonderful as Dirty Havana Trilogy but it certainly is a far cry from a lot books on Cuba that mysticise the country.

It's an honestly written story that feels real and not just another story to read and put on your book shelves. If you want to know the real Cuba start reading books from real writers like Pedro Juan. This is a good starting place.

Hotter than a Cuban night
Pedro Juan, the anti-hero, is a straight talking, womanising, hard living, hard drinking, Cuban artist. He hangs out with the whores and low life in Cuba, soaking up the louche living, trying to be as free and easy as possible. Upon arriving in Sweden he finds himself set adrift from his usual life and trying to cope with the slow normalcy of the Scandinavian way of life. Living with Agneta he tries to introduce her to the pleasures of pleasure, while wishing he was back home with his Cuban girl, Gloria.

'Tropical Animal' is a must read if you enjoyed 'Dirty Havana Trilogy', or if you enjoy the writing of Bukowski or Henry Miller. The novel portrays the central character's sensual life to the full with short chapters and short sharp sentences. This is a life lived for the moment not for the future.

About as poor as it gets
I read Dirty Havan and persevered with it thru the sub-porn to see if there was a writer lurking there underneath the trashy sensationalism.
I subsequently read The Insatiable Spiderwoman (which is considerably better and does indeed contain some decent writing)
This is a return to the trashy Havana sensationalism of Dirty Havana and is without any saving grace. The same strands are continued with an excursion to Sweden w Pedro Juan as an etranger.
I really am not sure why Gutierrez keeps up this trite porn drivel - probably because fools will buy it for the sensationalist porn.
If you want to read Cuban writers then go elsewhere and I would recommend starting with Lezama Lima and Marti.
This has few redeeming features and I say this as a much travelled Cuban admirer. It gives a gross overall flavour of Havana Central - of SOME people from Central. It is not as such about Cuba.