Cubanisms

by Pedro García-Menocal (Author),
Gustavo “Garrincha” Rodriguez
(Illustrator)

Cubanisms ─ The evolution of Cuban slang, Spanish slang, and Spanglish

The history of Spanish slang: Spanish is a unique language. From Argentina to Spain, accents, meanings, connotations and more get lost between borders. Cubanisms by Pedro García-Menocal details the diverse history of the Spanish language as it evolved in the Lost City.

The humor of Spanish slang: With beautifully traditional illustrations from noted Cuban artist Gustavo “Garrincha” Rodriguez, Cubanisms embraces the hilarious and historic value of words and their interpretations. This funny and informative collection will keep you laughing and learning all the way from Havana to Santiago.

About the Author

Pedro García-Menocal is a writer and lawyer. He is the son of noted Cuban artist Pedro G. Menocal and the great-grandson of Mario García Menocal, the third president of Cuba. Pedro was born in Mexico City and thereafter grew up in the United States and Europe. He grew up with a cultural identity crisis of which he was reminded every time someone asked him where he was from. Sometimes, he didn’t really know the answer. He was Cuban, but yet had never been to Cuba. He was Mexican, but that was only because he was born there. And he was American because he spoke English like an American. And when he finally went to Cuba, Cubans told him, “Sí, pero eres de allá.” “Yeah, but you are from over there…” Of course he was. Still, there was no denying that Cuba has always been a part of him, no matter where he has lived in the world. Today, Pedro lives in Miami Beach and hopes that one day, he will be able to spend an entire year in Cuba without anyone telling him where he is from.

About the Illustrator

Gustavo “Garrincha” Rodriguez is a Cuban illustrator and comic artist residing in Miami, FL. Like every other cartoonist, Gustavo Rodriguez began drawing since he was a kid. His cartooning career “started” in 1986 in his hometown of Havana, Cuba. He had one of his comic strips appear in a monthly magazine under the pen name of Garrincha. After that, his works began to appear in several other Cuban publications. Many hundreds of cartoons, illustrations and comics later, -as well as exhibitions and awards in some international contests- he left Cuba for good and came to the States in 2005. He is currently contributing regularly to El Nuevo Herald newspaper, Yahoo Noticias en Español and Martí Notices. His works are also distributed by The Cartoonist Group and Cartoon Stock. He’s got one comic strips book published and two more are in the works.