Robert Arellano books

Robert Arellano is an American novelist known for the Havana Noir duology and experimental literary fiction, blending Cuban culture with crime narratives and digital storytelling.

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Fast Eddie, King of the Bees 2001 Buy
Don Dimaio of La Plata 2004 Buy
Curse the Names 2011 Buy
Diary of a Blood Drinker 2016 Buy

The Cuban Noir Novels Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Havana Lunar 2009 Buy
Havana Libre 2017 Buy

Robert Arellano writes fiction that crosses boundaries between literary and genre work. His Cuban Noir novels — Havana Lunar and Havana Libre — are crime stories set in Cuba that use mystery and suspense as vehicles for exploring the island’s political and social history. Havana Lunar is set in 1990s Havana during the Special Period, while Havana Libre jumps between the revolution and the present day.

His standalone novels range from the experimental Don Dimaio of La Plata to the darker Curse the Names and Diary of a Blood Drinker. Arellano was a pioneer in digital literature in the 1990s before shifting to traditional print publishing. He teaches writing at Southern Oregon University.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Robert Arellano written?

Robert Arellano has written six books across two series.

What was Robert Arellano's first book?

Robert Arellano’s first book is Fast Eddie, King of the Bees, published in 2001.

What makes Robert Arellano's writing distinctive?

Robert Arellano blends literary fiction with genre elements, particularly noir crime fiction and Cuban cultural history. His Havana novels — Havana Lunar and Havana Libre — use the crime genre to explore life in Cuba across different decades. He was also a pioneer of digital literature, creating one of the first hypertext novels online in the mid-1990s, before focusing on traditional print fiction.

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