In the prologue to the work, Barnet says that ""nuestro trabajo no es histórico. La historia aparece porque es la vida de un hombre que pasa por ella"" (our work here is not history. History appears in it because it is the life of a man who passes through history). Also, “"sabemos que poner a hablar a un informante es, en cierta medida, hacer literatura. Pero no intentamos creer un documento literario"” (we know that referring to testimonial is, to a certain degree, creating literature. But our intentions are not to create a literary account). Barnet’s work is widely considered a synthesis of history and literature, as it is informed by the imaginative approach he demonstrates in his poetry. Some commentators classify his books as novels. He has created a unique representation of Cuban history and culture.