When Castro and his rebels seized power in 1959 , Gutierrez was 7 years old , selling ice cream on Havana 's streets . Cuban author Pedro Juan Gutierrez says he is interested in the ethics of the poorest . His observations are harsh ; some say he is pornographic , but he has also won acclaim . He says that `` reality is excessive . It does not allow for any other way to look at things and it makes us feel like we have no choice but to accept what life gives us. He worked as a journalist at state-run newspapers , but his fiction got him fired .
Cuban author Pedro Juan Gutierrez says he is interested in the ethics of the poorest . His observations are harsh ; some say he is pornographic , but he has also won acclaim . He says that `` reality is excessive . It does not allow for any other way to look at things and it makes us feel like we have no choice but to accept what life gives us. He worked as a journalist at state-run newspapers , but his fiction got him fired .