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"I know of Sartre's works. This Ilja I've never heard of." 

"You may not, but others have. He is an important Russian writer, friend of Papa from the time of the civil war in Spain. I commented about you asking 'what do you do.' Even to Sir Tedder when he came from England with the intent of fishing on the Pilar. While he was there, no fish. Not until long after his departure. Unfortunate Sir Tedder."

"If he comes back fishing while I'm here... what does Sir Tedder do?" 

"He was... Air Marshal of the British Empire. He thinks rather funny: he asked me if he had done well to approve, against everyone's opinion, the Long Range Desert Group, explorers on vans. He wanted to know from me what I thought, if they had been useful, since I had chased them into the desert. He explained to me that the higher up and, often the less is known. Very nice, Lord Tedder. He was also Eisenhower's deputy, commander of all the Allied forces in Europe. If you want to know how it was physically done just look at the photograph of Yalta, he is behind Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin."

"Do you know what I think? I will never ask anyone again what their profession is..."

As an "exception to the rule" Papa decided to throw a party to introduce me to his friends and some youth from Havana. We got ready for days and Gianfranco helped me transform the house into a kind of Spanish hacienda. I cut out in black and red paper silhouettes of bulls and bullfighters who, glued to the lampshades, seemed to move about when the light bulbs were on. I decorated the walls here and there with false fans. For behind the bar table I made a large screen, with painted - Campigli style - little women half-lengths with mantillas on their heads, so as to look like they were sitting on the steps of a Plaza de Toros. At this...