Abstract
Jorge Valls Arango was released from prison in Cuba in June 1984 after more than 20 years in jail there. He visited Europe to receive the Rotterdam Poetry Festival prize which had been awarded to him in 1983. He also came briefly to London, where the English Centre of International PEN has recently published a bilingual edition of some of his poetry, Where I am there is no light and it is barred. Jorge Valls gave many interviews, including one to Index, from which the following account was taken.