Photo Feature by Irina Pino
HAVANA TIMES – When nature invites you, you can feel the fragrance of the trees, the song of the birds, in an open space, making you realize the value of what surrounds you.
This feeling comes when visiting the Victor Hugo Park, nestled on H Street, between 17th and 21st streets, in Vedado. The statue of the writer, with the appearance of an elderly man and a thick beard, reflects an expression of bitterness. But the vegetation surrounding the monument softens his sadness.
This is a tribute to the admiration he felt for the island, which he recorded in his letters, where he wrote about the Cuban people’s struggle for independence and how they should never give up in their quest to be free.
The artist behind the work was Juan Jose Sicre (1898-1974), a Cuban sculptor who also became well-known for creating the statue of Jose Martí in the Civic Plaza, later renamed the Plaza of the Revolution.
It is said that Jose Marti met Victor Hugo when the Frenchman was 80 years old, and ou