An unexpected beneficiary of improved U.S.-Cuba relations? Ernest Hemingway.

It was at the Cuban estate Finca Vigía that some of the greatest American novels of the 20th century were written — For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Old Man and the Sea. But after the death of Ernest Hemingway in 1961 and the escalating tensions of the Cold War, U.S.-Cuban relations fizzled out and then were severed all together. Without being able to order valuable materials from the U.S., Hemingway's historic Havana estate fell into disrepair.

Now thanks to increasingly normalized relations, Hemingway's home — which is also a museum — is finally getting the materials it needs to be maintained. A U.S.-based foundation has already shipped two containers of hardware and tools to Finca Vigía, which will help with the preservation of all that Hemingway left behind after his death, The Associated Press reports. Among his artifacts are 5,000 photos, 10,000 letters, perhaps hundreds of thousands of margin notes, and 9,000 books, most of which are stored in the basement of the guest house, which is infested with termites. Curators hope to move the materials to a new facility as soon as they can.

The house itself will also get much-needed repairs thanks to American electric fuse boxes and hurricane-proof windows. "Preserving Hemingway's legacy brings honor and dignity to North Americans and Cubans alike," said the head of the Hemingway Museum at Finca Vigía, Ada Rosa Alfonso.

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