Over the last fifty years, Sydney and Anna Higgins have had published over 60 successful, non-fiction books. They have travelled extensively and have lived for long periods in Uganda and and Belize. Without doubt, the country they enjoyed visiting most was Cuba. They were enchanted not by the sights or the scenery but by the Cuban people. For centuries, they had been under the yoke of brutal occupiers from Spain and the USA. When at last they appeared to have achieved independence, they were stamped upon by Batista, a vicious dictator. It was only when he was overthrown by Fidel Castro that Cuba changed. Of course, it had become a Communist state and, therefore, was decried by many countries, especially the USA. Most of the rich Cubans hurriedly ran away and there was a general belief outside Cuba that Castro would fail - but he had the support of the ordinary people and things rapidly began to change. The interviews in this book help to explain how it happened. All were recorded early in 1987, during the authors' three-month stay in Cuba.
About the Author: Sydney Higgins has been a successful writer and educationalist for many years. When Cassell published his early books, the managing director insisted his name should be modified to 'D.S. Higgins' because, he said, 'Sydney Higgins' sounded common. The first book to be published under that name 'Sydney Higgins' was 'The Benn Inheritance - The Story of a Radical Family'. After that, his writing name became unimportant because when he was appointed as Senior Inspector of English Language and Drama, he was not permitted to publish anything under his own name - whether it was 'D.S.', 'Sydney' or 'Syd'. So he became a ghost, writing books including 'Stroll On' for Tony Booth, 'Piper Alpha - A Survivor's Story' for Ed Punchard, 'The Pirelli Book of Motor Racing Heroes' for John Surtees and 'Nicola: A Second Chance to Live' for Nicola Owen. In the early 1990s, when Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative Government seemed to believe that drama in education was a left-wing plot, he was fortunate enough to be given early retirement and fled with his wife to Italy. There he became a Professor of English, spending much time studying medieval drama and writing sure-fire non-sellers on subjects including 'The Staging of Cornish Medieval Drama'. He also founded and still directs his own theatrical company that specialises in musicals, including several for which he has written the book and the lyrics. He and his wife love travelling and together have written a two-part guidebook, 'Staying in the Châteaux Hotels of France'. Some time ago, he was made the 'Citizen of the Year' in the Italian town where he lives and works. The citation reads: 'Professor Higgins is recognised for having brought the town to the attention of the world by his organisation of the annual International Conference and Festival of Medieval European Drama.' It is an honour and a title that he cherishes, but, as he has said, 'If you're born with the name "Higgins", you really have to become a professor even if it's only so when a certain kind of person, having once seen "My Fair Lady" and hearing my name's "Higgins'", is wont to ask gleefully, 'You must be Professor Higgins!", I can reply, "Yes, I am!"' Anna Higgins is also a retired lecturer of English and has written over twenty books for adolescents. She and her husband have jointly written several books. They have three sons and have been happily married for over 50 years!