T. J. English – författare

Havanna på 1950-talet - med dess musik, nattliv, maffiavälde och revolutionärer - har blivit en mytomspunnen tid som odödliggjorts i många romaner och filmer, från Hemingway och Graham Greene till Coppolas Gudfadern II. Den amerikanske journalisten T. J. English' bok Maffian i Havanna är det mest ambitiösa dokumentära för­söket som gjorts för att levandegöra denna unika historiska epok. Havanna på 1950-talet var tidens hetaste nöjescentra. Hit ­kom turister från hela världen för att spela på kasino, gå på Tropicana,­ dricka Cuba Libre, dansa mambo - och köpa sexuella tjänster. Det extravaganta nöjeslivet var ett led i planen att få pengarna att strömma till staden - och ner i innerfickorna på den maffia som ägde ­hotellen, nattklubbarna och spelverksamheten. I ledningen stod maffia­moguler som Meyer Lansky och Lucky Luciano. Deras beskyddare var presidenten själv, Fulgencio Batista. Länge fungerade allt över förväntan och det uppror som startades i bergen under ledning av Fidel Castro tog man inte på allvar. Men på ­nyårsnatten 1958-59 bröt regimen samman. De följande dagarna­ ­plundrades kasinona. På Hilton Hotel upprättade rebellerna sitt ­högkvarter medan ett annat lyxhotell gjordes om till grisfarm. T. J. English bygger sin framställning inte bara på böcker och dokument utan han har också intervjuat en rad personer som var med: överlevande maffiosos och deras underhuggare; revolutionärer och prostituerade. I biroller möter vi bland andra mambo­kungen Beny Moré, porrstjärnan Superman, Frank Sinatra och John F. Kennedy. För den sistnämnda, får vi veta, arrangerade maffian en sexorgie som de sedan iakttog genom hotellrummets genomskinliga speglar. OM FÖRFATTAREN T. J. English är en amerikansk journalist och ­författare som har specialiserat sig på dokumentära­ kriminalhistorier, s. k. True Crime. Han har bl. a. publicerat två uppmärksammade böcker om den irländska maffian i USA, ­The Westies och Paddy Wacked. T. J. English är även dramatiker och har skrivit manus för teveserierna NYPD Blue och Homicide. Han medarbetar i tidskrifterna Esquire och Playboy. Den amerikanska utgåvan av Maffian i Havanna gick omgående upp på New York Times bestsellerlista. T. J. English gästade nyligen Jon Stewart och det populära satiriska TV-programmet The Daily Show. Inslaget kan ses på följande länk: http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=177437&title=t.j.-english Se även författarens hemsida - http://tj-english.com/ - för mer information om boken. UTDRAG UR BOKEN "Det imperium som skapats på Kuba var maffians mest grandiosa skapelse någonsin - en dröm som gått i uppfyllelse. De hade köpt in sig i, och infiltrerat, en självständig nation, och tagit kontroll över de finansiella institutionerna. De ­kontrollerade alla maktens mekanismer från toppen till gräsrotsnivån. I den undre världen skröt man ibland om att maffian 'hade makten' i en stad - men i Havanna var det verkligen så. Något liknande hade aldrig existerat." FRÅN MOTTAGANDET I USA OCH ENGLAND "Jag älskar den här boken ... mer häpnadsväckande och färgsprakande än Gudfadern II ... en magnifik bok, mycket, mycket intressant." Jon Stewart i The Daily Show "Den definitiva boken om maffians storhetstid på Kuba." Sam Giancana, författare till maffia­bästsäljaren Double Cross "English berättar varje del av denna historia med kriminal­roman­författarens säkra stilgrepp och den undersökande journalistens minutiösa research." Charley Allan i Morning Star "En utomordentlig bok ... English ... välunder­byggda­ skildringar är fulla av insikter." Tom Miller i Washington Post "En grundligt researchad historia." Todd G. Buchholz i Wall Street Journal "Fascinerande." Tom Robbins i Village Voice "En engagerande bok ... T. J. English­ lyckas ­verkligen blåsa liv i sitt ­material." Enrique Fernandez i Miami Herald "Som den luttrade historieberättare han är bjuder English på en saftig mix av true crime och politiska­ intriger - där fonden hela tiden är Havannas syndiga nattliv." Rachel F. Elson i San Francisco ­Chronicle "English' engagerade berättarstil har ­fiktionens alla kvaliteter: Havannas­ ­mörka sidor blir upplysta ... ­ rekommenderas i allra högsta grad!" Library Journal

“T.J. English hits the bullseye again. This is true crime writing at its most gripping and immediate — a riveting epic about crooked cops, lawyers, prosecutors, judges, and politicians who corrupted a continent and got snow to flow out of the tropics. The Last Kilo is a revelation.” —Nicholas Pileggi, author of Goodfellas and CasinoFrom true-crime legend T. J. English, the epic, behind-the-scenes saga of “Los Muchachos,” one of the most successful cocaine trafficking organizations in American history—a story of glitz, glamour, and organized crime set against the notorious 1980s Miami drug war.Despite what Scarface might lead one to believe, violence was not the dominant characteristic of the cocaine business. It was corruption: the dirty cops, agents, lawyers, judges, and politicians who made the drug world go round. And no one managed that carousel of dangerous players in the South Florida underworld better than Willy Falcon.A Cuban exile whose family escaped Fidel Castro’s Cuba when he was eleven years old, Falcon, as a teenager, became active in the anti-Castro movement. He began smuggling cocaine into the U.S. as a way to raise money to buy arms for the Contras in Central America. This counter-revolutionary activity led directly to Willy’s genesis as a narco. He and his partners built an extraordinary international organization from the ground up. Los Muchachos, the syndicate founded by Falcon, thrived as a major cocaine distribution network in the U.S. from the late 1970’s into the early 1990’s. At their height, Los Muchachos made more than a hundred million dollars a year. At the same time, Willy, his brother Tavy Falcon, and partner Sal Magluta became famous as championship powerboat racers.Cocaine, used by everyone from A-list celebrities to lawyers and people in law enforcement, came to define the Cocaine Cowboys era, and for a time, Willy Falcon and those like him—major suppliers, of whom there were only a few—became stars in their own right. They were the deliverers of good times, at least until the downside of persistent cocaine use became apparent: delusions of grandeur, psychological addiction, financial ruin. Thus, the War on Drugs was born, and federal authorities came after Falcon and his crew with a vengeance. Willy found himself on the run, his marriage and family life in shambles, the halcyon days of boat races and lavish trips to Vegas and parties at the Mutiny night club seemingly a distant memory.T. J. English has been granted unprecedented access to the inner workings of Los Muchachos, sitting down with Willy Falcon and his associates for many lengthy interviews, and revealing never-before-understood details about drug trafficking and money laundering. A classic of true-crime writing from a master of the genre, The Last Kilo traces the rise and fall of a true cocaine empire—and the lives left in its wake.Go beyond the myth of the Cocaine Cowboys and discover the real story of the Miami drug war:A True Crime Saga: Follow the rise of Willy Falcon and Sal Magluta, championship powerboat racers who secretly built one of America’s most successful cocaine empires.Unprecedented Access: Drawn from groundbreaking, exclusive interviews with Willy Falcon himself, revealing the inner workings of his multibillion-dollar operation for the first time.From Freedom Fighters to Narcos: Uncover the shocking connection between the cocaine trade and the anti-Castro movement.Corruption, Not Carnage: Discover why dirty cops, crooked lawyers, and powerful politicians—not just violence—were the true engines of the 1980s drug trade.

“T.J. English hits the bullseye again. This is true crime writing at its most gripping and immediate — a riveting epic about crooked cops, lawyers, prosecutors, judges, and politicians who corrupted a continent and got snow to flow out of the tropics. The Last Kilo is a revelation.” —Nicholas Pileggi, author of Goodfellas and CasinoFrom true-crime legend T. J. English, the epic, behind-the-scenes saga of “Los Muchachos,” one of the most successful cocaine trafficking organizations in American history—a story of glitz, glamour, and organized crime set against 1980’s Miami.Despite what Scarface might lead one to believe, violence was not the dominant characteristic of the cocaine business. It was corruption: the dirty cops, agents, lawyers, judges, and politicians who made the drug world go round. And no one managed that carousel of dangerous players better than Willy Falcon.A Cuban exile whose family escaped Fidel Castro’s Cuba when he was eleven years old, Falcon, as a teenager, became active in the anti-Castro movement. He began smuggling cocaine into the U.S. as a way to raise money to buy arms for the Contras in Central America. This counter-revolutionary activity led directly to Willy’s genesis as a narco. He and his partners built an extraordinary international organization from the ground up. Los Muchachos, the syndicate founded by Falcon, thrived as a major cocaine distribution network in the U.S. from the late 1970’s into the early 1990’s. At their height, Los Muchachos made more than a hundred million dollars a year. At the same time, Willy, his brother Tavy Falcon, and partner Sal Magluta became famous as championship powerboat racers.Cocaine, used by everyone from A-list celebrities to lawyers and people in law enforcement, came to define an era, and for a time, Willy Falcon and those like him—major suppliers, of whom there were only a few—became stars in their own right. They were the deliverers of good times, at least until the downside of persistent cocaine use became apparent: delusions of grandeur, psychological addiction, financial ruin. Thus, the War on Drugs was born, and federal authorities came after Falcon and his crew with a vengeance. Willy found himself on the run, his marriage and family life in shambles, the halcyon days of boat races and lavish trips to Vegas and parties at the Mutiny night club seemingly a distant memory.T. J. English has been granted unprecedented access to the inner workings of Los Muchachos, sitting down with Willy Falcon and his associates for many lengthy interviews, and revealing never-before-understood details about drug trafficking. A classic of true-crime writing from a master of the genre, The Last Kilo traces the rise and fall of a true cocaine empire—and the lives left in its wake.

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING BENICIO DEL TORO, PRODUCED BY LEONARDO DICAPRIOCuba, 1961.A failed invasion at The Bay of Pigs results in Fidel Castro tightening his hold over Cuba. José Miguel Battle Sr., a former cop and member of the counter-revolutionary group intent on overthrowing him, is captured.Miami, 1962.José Miguel Battle Sr. travels to the USA, chased from the island by revolution, and is renamed The Godfather. A 2,500 strong Cuban-American criminal alliance is established.Known on both sides of the law as 'The Corporation', its powerful members were fellow outcasts and enemies of Castro. A hero to many Cuban-Americans, The Godfather created a unit of trusted men who fought alongside him to reclaim their nation from the Marxist dictator.Gaining money, power and inluence by running gambling rackets, money- laundering, drug trafficking and murder, The Corporation never gave up the dream of killing Castro and reclaiming their homeland. This explosive biography reveals how an entire generation of political exiles, refugees, racketeers, corrupt cops, hitmen (and their wives and girlfriends) became caught up in this violent desire, and built a criminal empire surviving over 40 years.An epic tale of gangsters, drugs and violence, learn how The Corporation grew into one of the USA's most sordid and deadly organisations.