El parlanchín extraviado features a protagonist: the Cuban people, whose loquacity fascinates the author and seems to influence everything—from the country’s history to the romantic relationships of its inhabitants. Silence, noise, language, music, harangues, self-censorship, the chatter of certain animals, and the sociability of a sacred tree are the themes vying for attention in these brief texts, where satire and humor take center stage:

The muteness of fish warns Cubans about the dangers of the deep.