The cover design by Héctor Villaverde features bold illustrations by Alfredo Rostgaard depicting a stylized rotary telephone rendered in a pop-art aesthetic with vibrant blue, navy, light blue, and white tones against a bright lime-green background. The telephone's curved forms and decorative flourishes create an elegant, almost art nouveau sensibility while maintaining graphic clarity. The playful visual metaphor connects communication technology with intimate musical performance, suggesting poetry as both chamber music and conversation—private yet resonant forms of human connection.
This collection of lyric poetry by Nicolás Guillén (1902-1989), Cuba's National Poet, represents an important angle in his vast poetic production. Born in Camagüey, Guillén practiced journalism from his youth and authored foundational works of Latin American and world literature including "Sóngoro Cosongo," "Cantos para soldados y sones para turistas," "El Gran Zoo," and "La rueda dentada." Published during "Año 20 de la Victoria" (the twentieth anniversary of the Revolution), this volume showcases Guillén's mastery of lyricism, where he balances sentiment with formal innovation and verse simplicity. As president of UNEAC and member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, Guillén occupied a central position in revolutionary Cuban cultural life.