Five From the Finca
Summer 2020 Five from the finca
1)When did the Finca reopen to visitors and how long was it closed for?
“The Finca closed on March 20th and reopened on July 13th.”
***Since the interview, the Finca has again closed as Havana has stepped back a phase in the reopening plan.
2)Is the Finca open for international visitors currently?
“No, because international visitors are not allowed on the island yet.”
3) Given the situation with COVID, are many people visiting the Finca?
“There is very little attendance at the Finca or in the community in general.”
(Our interviewee from the Finca is seen in the image to the left)
4)In the images you sent, scholars appear to be cataloging. Can you tell us more about this?
“They are working on the collections in Hemingway’s house by making an inventory of each piece that exists in the collections.”
5) 2020 has brought about the cancelation of many in-person Hemingway events. How has the virus affected plans for the rest of 2020 for the Finca?
“For the moment, all plans are postponed.”
Spring Five from the finca
Due to COVID-19, there is only one Five From the Finca interview for the spring. In this interview, Massiel Pita discusses the Spanish Art found at the Finca Vigia. Feel free to reach out with any questions you would like to see answered in the next interview.
1)How many pieces of Spanish paintings are located in the Finca?
In the hall of the house there are two Cartels of taurine topics and one painting called “La Cogida” by the artist Roberto Domingo.
In the room of the library there is one Cartel [poster] called “Toros en San Sebastián” by Roberto Domingo, too.
(More information on Roberto Domingo can be found on the following website:
http://robertodomingo.com/en/)
In the dining room is a copy of “La Masia” by Joan Miro.
2)What can you tell us about Hemingway’s history with the Spanish paintings he collected?
Those Cartels and “La Cogida” were bought by Hemingway during the decade of the 1930s. One of which was used as a cover for the book Death in the Afternoon in 1932.
3)Are there any other forms of Spanish artwork located at the Finca currently?
In the hall there are two candlesticks of the Church of the Extremadura.
4)You mentioned in a previous interview that there was an event coming for Gigi’s Allstars in December. What can you tell us about how that went? Do you have any pictures?
Sorry, I don’t have any pictures of that day. The children came with ball equipment and played a game. After that, Brian Gordon Sinclair collected with the children and the workers of the museum in front of Hemingway’s house.
5)What upcoming events at the Finca are you excited about?
I believe the next Colloquium must be the most emotional event upcoming.
***Information on the 2021 Colloquium is forthcoming
The importance of the Finca Vigia and Cuba in the life of Ernest Hemingway cannot be overstated. Unfortunately, due to the difficulties between the United States and the Cuban government, the connection between Hemingway and Cuba is not studied as in depth and as often as this portion of Hemingway’s life deserves.
This new column on the FHS website, Five From the Finca, will feature five short questions in order to open up another door of communication between the Finca and Hemingway scholars, aficionados, and fans. In this our first column the questions will be introductory in nature, and from there we will continue a conversation that we hope will be unending.
1). Could you please introduce yourself and give us a brief bio? How long have you been working at the Finca?
My name is Massiel Pita. I studied History in the University of Havana and I [have worked at the] Finca Vigia since September 3, 2018.
2). For those who have not been there, could you give us a description of the Finca Vigia?
The property is located on top of the hill in San Francisco de Paula town, near Havana City and has a territorial extension of 43,000m2. Into the property is the museum house, the garage, the bungalow and El Pilar yacht.
3). Can you explain a little bit about the importance of the Finca Vigia in Hemingway’s life?
La Vigia was important in Hemingway’s life because in this place the writer found peace and wrote books such as The Old Man and the Sea.
4). Which works did Hemingway write while at the Finca Vigia?
At the Finca Vigia he finished For Whom the Bell Tolls and he wrote Across the River and into the Trees, The Old Man and the Sea, A Moveable Feast and Islands in the Stream.
5). What are you most proud of having accomplished at the Finca so far this year?
The big accomplishment this year was the 17th International Colloquium “Ernest Hemingway.”
As we move forward, feel free to email in any questions you would like to know about the Finca and Hemingway’s life in Cuba.
November/December Five from the finca
1) Can you tell us about the statue recently dedicated on the grounds of the Finca this month?
“The bust of Hemingway was sculpted by the Swedish artist Johan Falkman. In Johan Falkman’s bust of Hemingway we find the great writer, the man and the broken man. And this representation of Hemingway’s face is mounted on a rock shipped to Cuba from Sweden.”
2) What can you share about the ceremony?
“The ceremony was carried out in front of the house. It was raining the whole morning, but the sculpture was discovered in the presence of a great number of people.”
3) Who was in attendance?
“In the ceremony was present workers of the museum, people of the Consejo Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural, Swedish guests, Tomas Wiklund: ambassador of Sweden in Cuba, Björn Cronstedt: cultural aggregate of the Swedish embassy in Cuba, Dan and Chistin Olofsson: the patrons and Johan Falkman: the artist.”
4) What connection did Hemingway have with the Swedish Embassy of Cuba or the country of Sweden?
“Hemingway could not travel to Sweden for the Nobel Prize ceremony. Therefore, the Swedish envoy Carl-Herbert Borgenstierna had the honour of delivering the prize at Finca Vigía in San Francisco de Paula, Havana, where the writer was recovering after two airplane accidents. The award ceremony was quickly completed. By the way, the lunch that Hemingway celebrated with the Cojimar's anglers when he received the prize in the gardens of Cerveceria ‘La Modelo’ was in my town: El Cotorro.”
5) Are there other statues or items on the grounds of the Finca that have been donated from countries other than Cuba and the United States?
“In the Finca there is a sculpture by the italian artist Renzo Orvieto( 1922- 1999), it's in the office of the director.”
Thank you Massiel Pita for informing us on this beautiful ceremony. More images have been loaded onto the Florida Hemingway Society Facebook page.
September Five from the finca
1.) We had a question sent in regarding the art Hemingway collected in the Finca. I’d like to answer this one room by room. Could you tell readers about the art in this room [picture can be seen to the left].
There are many interesting things in this room such as foreign bills and coins, black and white pictures, a reproduction of Paul Klee’s Monument Under Construction [Monument in Arbeit, the original was bought by Hemingway in Berlin], and one white arms collection (this collection was a gift from Wacamba and Massai African tribes).
2.) In this same room, which animals are hanging on the walls? Can you give any background information on the animals?
In this same room we can find Kafri buffalo; it was hunted by Hemingway in Africa in 1933. In “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” Hemingway describes the hunt of this animal. We also find a blue antelope (a white bearded male) hunted in 1954 during a second safari.
3.) What is the most interesting object in this same room?
From my point of view, the most interesting object in this room is the head of the Kafri buffalo.
4.) Hemingway left behind a large record collection in the Finca. What are the highlights of this music collection? Were any of them left out by Hemingway when he left?
Hemingway left behind around 900 records in the Finca. In this collection we may highlight some jazz records such as Louis Armstrong, Cuban music such as Rita Montaner, Bola de Neive, Ernesto Lecuna, Spanish popular music and classical music.
5.) What projects are planned for the Finca in what remains of 2019?
There is a celebration that takes place in December every year in the Finca dedicated to “Estrellas de Gigi” team [Gigi’s Allstars] organized by Brian Gordon Sinclair in Hemingway’s memory.
October Five From the Finca
Five from the Finca-October 2019
For this month’s interview, Massiel Pita from the Finca Vigia will be discussing some of the interesting items Hemingway left in his home. Next month we will be discussing the Spanish artwork in Hemingway’s house. Feel free to reach out with questions you may have about Hemingway and the Finca Vigia.
1)Hemingway had an interesting collection of swords at the Finca. What can you tell us about these swords?
“Those swords are part of a one white arms collection that belonged to the writer. It is 13 knifes, belt and batons. The knifes are for work such as: behead animals or for ceremonies.”
2)The desk in the image below is covered in items Hemingway collected and stored some value in. Raul Villarreal once said that Hemingway kept items because they stored memories for him, and he never knew if he would need the items to help remind him of ideas he could use in a story. Perhaps, then, these items had some value for him. Can you pick a few of these items and tell us about them?
“ On the desk: fascist flag and saved trophy of his participation as correspondent of war and soldier in different bellicoses conflicts; one collection of objects of animals carved in wood, bought for the Hemingways to artist of Machaco, Oriental Africa; the key of the city of Matanzas, this was delivered to Hemingway for the Cuban poeticize Carilda Oliver Labra. We also find a tray of in form wood of fish, flood of stones and other objects, that Hemingway considered of ‘good luck’. He was a superstition man.”
3)In the third image there is a beautiful piece of artwork. What can you tell us about this artwork and its meaning to Hemingway
“The painting that appears in the image is a reproduction of the work the Juan Gris: ‘El Torero’.”
4)In the same image there is a circular frame, can you explain the items in the frame or anything about their history/connection with Hemingway?
“The circular frame is ‘La Batea Mexicana’ , is a species of done handicraft of wood. This was bought by Hemingway on one of the travels that the writer carried out to Mexico.”
5)This month is the first in a great season of holidays in American culture. What can you tell us about Hemingway’s interactions with Cuban holidays? Do you know how he celebrated Cuban or American holidays while at the Finca?
“Hemingway celebrated in the Finca: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve,etc. Because in the period in which Hemingway lived in our country celebrate the same holidays that the took place in USA.”