Crime fiction literature from the Eastern Bloc in the Cuban journal Enigma: 1986-1988

Abstract

This work reflects on the Cuban crime fiction magazine Enigma. During its existence (1986-1988) it contributed to make known in Spanish the texts of international crime fiction authors, thus serving as an organ of dissemination of the International Association of Crime Writers. Specifically, in this article special attention is paid to the case of the writers of the Eastern Bloc, such as Yulián Semiónov or Jiří Procházka. In this sense, the presence of the authors of this origin in the journal is quantitatively calculated, and they are analyzed the theoretical and ideological assumptions recognizable in the interviews that they granted to the publication and in their literary texts. In this way, the role of this magazine is highlighted as a fundamental tool to disseminate in Spanish the police literature of the Eastern Bloc, and as a bridge to connect the writers of both parts of the world.