Letters from Cuba, a playwright written by Maria Ines Fornes, details a relationship imbued with feelings of longing and love between two siblings who seem to live in distinct realities. One of the siblings, called Fran, immigrated from Cuba to New York in hopes of being an artist. Fornes’ play is nontraditional, centering its world on the letters Fran’s brother, Luis, exchanges with her while still living in Cuba. Letters, by nature, are very intimate and close. It means that whoever is writing the letter deliberately expresses words that are meant for that person to see and experience. Letters are also a way to express closeness when the distance between people is far too great. Fornes’ decision to include poetry and letters in the play is a unique way to show the profound ways in which the characters attempt to navigate their way in the world while holding on to those they hold dear to their hearts. 

There is not much dialogue between the characters, and there is not much action to compensate for the much of the storytelling either. Through the letters, Luis writes to Fran about things of the mundane, things like the weather, about gift packages that have been sent… with each letter revealing the need to fill in the details that Luis wants to share with Fran and his need to be emotionally close to her. He writes: “Last time you wrote was in August. You owed me a letter since March. I thought it was an eternity. Now I am answering you in July. I hope our writing records will improve. Amor, Luis” (Fornes 22). This excerpt in the letter details how Luis desires to hold on tightly to the relationship he has with his sister, by partly shaming and teasing her for not writing to him sooner. Fran, who strives towards following her creative pursuits in New York, seems distant, as to separate herself from her past and the place she used to call home. As a reader, the sentiment expressed here is bittersweet. Luis, through his letters and writings about his experiences in Cuba, remains like a beloved relic of Fran’s past. Although he deeply loves his sister, he finds it difficult to leave behind all he has ever known. Fran, on the other hand, according to the play, is always dancing, always moving and forging the path that calls to her. 

In the following scene, Fran contends, “Well some people understand words better than anything else. Other people understand color, other people understand sounds, I understand movement..” (Fornes 22). This shows the contrast in how Fran operates in her world, distinct from the poetic and sentimental Luis. The feelings between the siblings are tense, like a tug and pull where one reaches its hand out to the other in attempts to be with each other without leaving behind the life they want for themselves. Just as the apartment in the play is set with New York being at the bottom and Cuba being on the rooftop, it reveals the simultaneous vast distance and closeness the siblings have with each other. 

Letters and poetry being used as a medium to tell the story in the play can be translated in a very interesting and beautiful way on stage because it can make the viewer feel like they are right next to the characters, privy to their intimate thoughts and feelings. The romantic and familial connections explored in the play, from my perspective, could not have a better way of being portrayed through these mediums because they are sincere, leaving out the characters struggles, hopes, and dreams out in the open for the audience to see. 

Work Cited 

Fornes, Maria, Irene. Letters from Cuba. Scribd. https://www.scribd.com/document/673818404/Letters-From-Cuba-Maria-Irene-Fornes