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Title: Old Dog

Author: Teresa Cardenas

Translator: David Unger

Illustrator:

Publisher: Groundwood Books

Date Published: 2007

Format: Paperback

Genre: Other

Book Category: Fiction

Age Range: 12+

Original Title: First published in Spanish as Perro Viejo by Casa de las Américas, Cuba, 2006

Country of Origin: Cuba

Old Dog

by Teresa Cardenas
Age Range: 12+

“Perro Viejo didn’t fear hell – he had lived his whole life in it”.

Perro Viejo-“Old Dog” is an elderly slave on a Cuban plantation and the story describes the reality of slaves in Cuba, interspersed with vivid memories from Perro Viejo’s earlier life, especially his childhood. The main body of the novel focuses on the cruelty meted out to the slaves and the inhumane conditions in which they live.

Perro Viejo and his friend Beira try to hide – and later escape from their plantation with- a very young runaway girl, but will they manage to find Colibri, the free paradise dreamed of by slaves? We follow the escapees on a desperate journey through the jungle where a single sound could give them away with their pursuers hot on their heels.

This novel offers an honest and moving look into the existence of slaves and spares no details of the inhumanity shown to them. It brings across a powerful message of how wrong slavery is – and tells us exactly why. The figure of Perro Viejo- old, injured but still defiant, is one that immediately impresses and strikes an emotional chord with the reader as he quietly fights against the oppression of his people. The book is exceptionally touching and is graphic in some places, such as describing the punishment that killed Ulundi, but is written with a simplicity that presents Perro Viejo’s tale as “the truth”. David Unger’s translation captures this quality exactly, as he managed to bring across the lush descriptions of Cuba and the sensual appeal of Cardenas’s prose and contrasts this against the stark violence inflicted upon the slaves- which seems like a blow to the senses.

The novel is well laid out, with large font, making it easy to read. The structure of the novel allows this too, as it is short with small chapters and clear divisions between memories and the present. The vivid writing and length of the book would draw in even reluctant readers. The suspenseful climax and thought-provoking nature of the text, as it looks at how slavery influences every aspect of Perro Viejo’s identity are sure to impact upon the reader, as well as being a fascinating historical look at slavery.

Abby Phillips (2010)

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