In studies of prison writing, escapism is typically viewed either as a necessary tool of relief and personal transformation or, more critically, as a practice that is easily co-opted by the disciplinary logic of rehabilitation. In this article I trouble this dichotomy, proposing a nuanced way of approaching escapism through an analysis of dissident Cuban author Reinaldo Arenas’s experimental novella Arturo, la estrella más brillante (1984). Focusing on the context of forced labour camps (UMAP) in revolutionary Cuba, I dwell on the complex negotiations between momentary evasion and transcendental escape that result from escapism for both writers and readers.