An Interview with Cuban Science Fiction Author Yoss

Paul Semel talks with Yoss, “Cuba's premiere science-fiction writer” (VICE), about his latest novel, Condomnauts, a raucous space opera where humans explore the limits of the Milky Way—and their libidos.

This interview was originally published in paulsemel.com, and has been translated from the Spanish by Lily Seibert. 

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Paul Semel (PS): I always like to begin with a summary of the plot. So, what is Condomnauts about?  

Yoss: In a few words and without spoiling anything, I could tell you about the life and adventures of Josué Valdes, a young, multiracial man from Cuban who works as a specialist in a Catalan space enclave of Nu Barsa. But this would be like trying to describe a dog by simply saying that it’s a mammal, quadruped, and carnivore, without talking about how he descends from a wolf, where his allegiances lie, and his many races.

The core premise of Condomnauts is that it develops in the 24th century, a future in which humankind has come into contact with hundreds of alien races who all must follow what’s called the Contact Protocol: when two ships with different species come together, in order to demonstrate peaceful intentions and the desire to conduct business together, a representative from each much have sex with the other. 

Among humans, this circumstance has produced the emergence of a new profession: the condomnaut, or contact specialist. Becoming one involves more than simply intention: they require cold blood, the capacity to improvise, and a very strong stomach. They are well-paid professionals who train in specialized schools. Children who possess a certain disposition and aptitude for sexual experimentation train there, and what was once (and still is) considered a terrible and prohibited passion—sexual relationships between species—is now a well-respected talent.     

PS: Where did you get the idea for Condomnauts, and how different is the finished novel from that original idea?  

Yoss: I suppose that authors frequently don’t remember how their ideas come to them, or else they make them up. But, at least in this case, I remember very clearly how it all started. The idea emerged in November of 2008, during a fascinating conversation with two Venezuelan friends, Susana Sussmann and Roger Ávila, both authors of sci-fi and fantasy. We were talking about the distinct ways in which different cultures refer to those who explore space: astronauts to westerners, cosmonauts to the soviets, taikonauts to the chinese, and the word condomnauts occurred to me. Roger and Susana found it very funny and I resolved to write a book that centered around this concept. I thought a little bit and it immediately became clear that it would have to do with sexuality—very profound, no?—and over the next few months I sketched it out. I added some healthy irony about the Catalans, as I’ve spent 17 years sending short stories to compete in their UPC award without getting more than a mention in 2003—but seeing as texts that, in my opinion, had less imagination and literary merit won the competition and the 6000 euros, I simply enhanced their national spirit and their desire to declare independence from Spain.

I started writing, and when I finished it, I knew immediately that it wasn’t going to win: it was too critical of Catalanism. But I sent it all the same; it didn’t win. Finally, the following year, 2010, I got a coveted award for another one of my books published with Restless Books, Super Extra Grande, and Condomnauts was published in Cuba in 2011 with the Editora Abril—who works with the Union of Young Communists of Cuba, to my surprise!—with a cover design and illustrations by Montos, one of the best artists on the island, and my friend Yasmin did me the honor of calling it “the first queer Cuban Science Fiction novel.” Now Restless has published it and I’m anxious to see how North American readers view it... because I couldn’t have written it without first reading authors like Joanna Russ, James Tiptree Jr (or Alice B. Sheldon, if you prefer her real name), Zenna Henderson, Ursula K. LeGuin, Pamela Sargent, Nalo Hopkinson and

Eleanor Arnason, who all took on the theme of divergent sexuality in science fiction. There’s also Venus plus X by Theodore Sturgeon, and Extrañas relaciones y Carneby Philip José Farmer, who all dare to push boundaries of what’s acceptable in the genre.  

Keep reading at paulsemel.com to find out more about where Yoss finds cosmic inspiration!

About the Author

Born José Miguel Sánchez Gómez in Havana, Cuba, in 1969, Yoss assumed his pen name in 1988, when he won the Premio David in the science-fiction category for Timshel. Since then, he has gone on to become one of Cuba's most iconic literary figures—as the author of more than twenty acclaimed books, as a champion of science fiction through his workshops in Cuba and around the world, and as the lead singer of the heavy metal band Tenaz. His three novels translated into English are A Planet for Rent, Super Extra Grande, and Condomnauts.

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You can read more about Yoss's books and purchase them below.

Restless Books Named Foreword Reviews’ Publisher of the Year!

Any biologist will tell you that a species cannot survive, long-term, in a monoculture. New, fresh genetic material is necessary to make it robust and able to fend off disease, bad weather, or genetic mutation.... The same can be said for a nation and its literature. Without the influx of fresh DNA, fresh cultural perspective, new stories from different traditions, literature can be stuck in a monoculture, in a formula, leading to stagnation and a crisis of imagination.

So writes Foreword Reviews Executive Editor Howard Lovy in his citation for bestowing on Restless Books their Publisher of the Year Award! We’re no biology majors, but this commitment to cultural exchange and staving off imagination starvation lies at the heart of what we do. And if DNA means Diversity Needs Advocates*, then we’re happy to be those advocates when it comes to literature. We are particularly excited and humbled to be recognized by Foreword Reviews, which has long been a champion of independent publishing.

Lovy calls out two Restless publishing projects in particular for keeping our literary culture vibrant and diverse: the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing and Cuban Science Fiction:

I first became fascinated with Restless Books a couple of years ago, when practically out of nowhere, a new genre came to America that I had never heard of before. Cuban Science Fiction. At first, it did not make sense to me that those living in a dystopia would also enjoy reading about dystopia. Since November 8, 2016, I understood. It’s the same reason, I suppose, that Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale has seen a surge in popularity lately.

We were committed to these projects long before November, but both of them now seem more relevant than ever, given the current administration’s hardline stance against open relations with Cuba and open borders with the world at large (not to mention its proposal to defund the National Endowment for the Arts). We don’t consider ourselves a political publisher. But when the political winds shift toward isolationism and the rejection of other cultures and languages, then championing immigrant writing and publishing international literature in translation become crucial acts of resistance.

As our publisher Ilan Stavans wrote in a provocative article for Foreword Reviews called “Against Narrowness: Indie Publishing's Diversity Offers Response to Tyranny”:

My conviction, especially now, is that the next few years will be characterized by terrible strife, but also by cutting-edge, magisterial literature emerging from unexpected places. Independent publishers in the United States and elsewhere are positioned to take crucial risks in making room for those voices.

We are proud to stand with Foreword Reviews as we continue to champion marginalized voices, giving them the spotlight they deserve. Thanks again, guys! We’ll continue to man the fort. Read the full announcement here, and listen to Ilan Stavans discuss immigrants and the 2016 election in Foreword Review’s inaugural podcast.

*It doesn’t. Please don’t use this post as a study guide for your biology class exam.