Hamsun, Hitler and Alicia Alonso In the first half of the 20th century, the European country of Norway had won praise from the international community for its notable authors and novelists such as Bjornsterne Bjornson (one of the first writers to win a Nobel), Sigrid Undset, Henrik Ibsen (who won worldwide recognition for its book "A Doll's House") and, of course, Knut Hamsun.
In the early 1920s, Norway's author Hamsun made a name for himself as he earned the Nobel Prize for Literature and was one of the most popular figures in the Scandinavian region.
Nonetheless, during the World War Second, his life had its ups and downs.
Unwelcome publicity came as he became one of the allies of Adolf Hitler.
Between April 9, 1940 and May 8, 1945, the Nazi forces invaded the Kingdom of Norway, a peaceful nation in Europe.
During the German occupation of Norway, hundreds of people were slaughtered, many of them extrajudicially executed when unarmed or after having been captured.
Despite these atrocities, Hamsun was one of the main collaborators of the Nazi regime.
In that time, he spoke of his admiration for Hitler: "He was a warrior, a warrior for mankind, and a prophet of the gospel of justice for all nations".
Following the ending of the War, Norway was so unhappy with Hamsun that many people burned his books.
Over the next decades, unfortunately, the world has seen other "Hamsuns", among them Alicia Alonso, who has spent her entire professional career in the service of the Cuban Revolution, classed as the most dictatorial rule in Latin America since the late 1950s.
Without a doubt, Alonso has played a vital role in the Cuban Revolution.
Dictatorship & Culture Hailing from Havana, Cuba, Alonso, an American-trained-dancer, gained worldwide fame prior to the Cuban Revolution exactly on November 2, 1943, as she replaced Alicia Markova in the title role of "Giselle" at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
Later on, America's journalist John Martin said that she "acquitted herself with brilliance, turning in one of the most distinguished performances of the season".
While many Cuban performers, had fled to Latin America, Europe and the States, Alonso, despite strong criticism from many people, became one of the allies of the new Marxist dictatorship, which had killed more than 3,000 Cubans from 1959 to 1962, when Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz came to power in the late 1950s.
With the exception of Alicia Alonso, all Cuban artists refused to support the new dictatorship.
Prior to the Cuban Revolution, the Island had produced some of the world's finest artist and singers such as Claudio José Domingo Brindis de Salas (known as the "Black Pagnini"), Damaso Pérez Prado, Desi Arnaz, Cecilia Cruz, Lydia Cabrera, Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Nestor Almendros, Olga Guillot and Ernesto Lecuona.
Thanks to Lecuona's song "Malagueña", Spain gained fame in all corners of the world, including the People's Republic of China.
On the other side, in the 40s, his single "Always in my heart" (Siempre en mi corazón) was nominated for Best Song Academy Award.
Alicia Alonso & Fidel Castro As part of a strategy to win fame and prestige in the world, which has condemned the brutal character of the dictatorial regime since 1959, the arts, especially dance, cinematography and painting, were backed by the Cuban government, as in many oppressive nations during the Cold War such as the USSR, East Germany and Bulgaria.
Under this atmosphere, Alicia Alonso realized her big dream: founded officially the Cuban National Ballet (the Ballet Nacional de Cuba).
Aiming to improve the Island's image, devastated by the human rights abuses, mismanagement, dependency with the USSR and links with radical movements in the Third World, Fidel Castro supported the Cuban National Ballet, providing financial aid to send many young dancers, among them Loipa Araújo, Mirta Pla, Jorge Esquivel, Aurora Bosch and Josefina Méndez, to world-class meets, including the Varna International Ballet Competition, and worldwide tours.
By the 1960s, Alonso and the National Ballet visited Latin America, Europe, Vietnam, Mongolia and the People's Republic of China.
In parallel, Havana, the country's capital city, was home to one of the largest events in the developing world, where participated teams from Canada, Czechoslovakia, Spain, Guinea, Mexico, Nicaragua and USSR, among other countries.
For her work on behalf of the Cuban tyranny since 1960, Vilma Espín, sister-in-law of Fidel Castro, bestowed upon Alonso the National Order "Ana Betancourt", the highest honor of the Cuban Women's Federation.
Despite Cuba's human rights abuses, ironically, Alicia Alonso is a popular figure in some regions in the world.
In fact, if Alonso had been a pro-Pinochet activist she would have not been a personality.
She had not been accepted by many governments and international organizations.
In the early 1920s, Norway's author Hamsun made a name for himself as he earned the Nobel Prize for Literature and was one of the most popular figures in the Scandinavian region.
Nonetheless, during the World War Second, his life had its ups and downs.
Unwelcome publicity came as he became one of the allies of Adolf Hitler.
Between April 9, 1940 and May 8, 1945, the Nazi forces invaded the Kingdom of Norway, a peaceful nation in Europe.
During the German occupation of Norway, hundreds of people were slaughtered, many of them extrajudicially executed when unarmed or after having been captured.
Despite these atrocities, Hamsun was one of the main collaborators of the Nazi regime.
In that time, he spoke of his admiration for Hitler: "He was a warrior, a warrior for mankind, and a prophet of the gospel of justice for all nations".
Following the ending of the War, Norway was so unhappy with Hamsun that many people burned his books.
Over the next decades, unfortunately, the world has seen other "Hamsuns", among them Alicia Alonso, who has spent her entire professional career in the service of the Cuban Revolution, classed as the most dictatorial rule in Latin America since the late 1950s.
Without a doubt, Alonso has played a vital role in the Cuban Revolution.
Dictatorship & Culture Hailing from Havana, Cuba, Alonso, an American-trained-dancer, gained worldwide fame prior to the Cuban Revolution exactly on November 2, 1943, as she replaced Alicia Markova in the title role of "Giselle" at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
Later on, America's journalist John Martin said that she "acquitted herself with brilliance, turning in one of the most distinguished performances of the season".
While many Cuban performers, had fled to Latin America, Europe and the States, Alonso, despite strong criticism from many people, became one of the allies of the new Marxist dictatorship, which had killed more than 3,000 Cubans from 1959 to 1962, when Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz came to power in the late 1950s.
With the exception of Alicia Alonso, all Cuban artists refused to support the new dictatorship.
Prior to the Cuban Revolution, the Island had produced some of the world's finest artist and singers such as Claudio José Domingo Brindis de Salas (known as the "Black Pagnini"), Damaso Pérez Prado, Desi Arnaz, Cecilia Cruz, Lydia Cabrera, Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Nestor Almendros, Olga Guillot and Ernesto Lecuona.
Thanks to Lecuona's song "Malagueña", Spain gained fame in all corners of the world, including the People's Republic of China.
On the other side, in the 40s, his single "Always in my heart" (Siempre en mi corazón) was nominated for Best Song Academy Award.
Alicia Alonso & Fidel Castro As part of a strategy to win fame and prestige in the world, which has condemned the brutal character of the dictatorial regime since 1959, the arts, especially dance, cinematography and painting, were backed by the Cuban government, as in many oppressive nations during the Cold War such as the USSR, East Germany and Bulgaria.
Under this atmosphere, Alicia Alonso realized her big dream: founded officially the Cuban National Ballet (the Ballet Nacional de Cuba).
Aiming to improve the Island's image, devastated by the human rights abuses, mismanagement, dependency with the USSR and links with radical movements in the Third World, Fidel Castro supported the Cuban National Ballet, providing financial aid to send many young dancers, among them Loipa Araújo, Mirta Pla, Jorge Esquivel, Aurora Bosch and Josefina Méndez, to world-class meets, including the Varna International Ballet Competition, and worldwide tours.
By the 1960s, Alonso and the National Ballet visited Latin America, Europe, Vietnam, Mongolia and the People's Republic of China.
In parallel, Havana, the country's capital city, was home to one of the largest events in the developing world, where participated teams from Canada, Czechoslovakia, Spain, Guinea, Mexico, Nicaragua and USSR, among other countries.
For her work on behalf of the Cuban tyranny since 1960, Vilma Espín, sister-in-law of Fidel Castro, bestowed upon Alonso the National Order "Ana Betancourt", the highest honor of the Cuban Women's Federation.
Despite Cuba's human rights abuses, ironically, Alicia Alonso is a popular figure in some regions in the world.
In fact, if Alonso had been a pro-Pinochet activist she would have not been a personality.
She had not been accepted by many governments and international organizations.
SHARE
