# Virgilio José López Lemus

**Date of birth:** October 22, 1946

**Categories:** Arts, literature, poet, essayist, translator, researcher, professor, Society

Native of Fomento, province of Sancti Spíritus.

He holds a Degree in Hispanic Language and Literature and a Doctorate in Philological Sciences from the University of La Habana.

He worked for more than ten years as an editor of Literary Theory and Criticism at Editorial Letras Cubanas, and as a professor at various educational institutions, including the University of La Habana, where he has been a Full Professor of the Faculty of Arts and Letters. Academic of Merit of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba. He worked for more than twenty years as a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Literature and Linguistics of Cuba.

He has served as a jury member for the most important Cuban national contests and permanent member of the Jury for the International Poetry Prize "Atlántida," of the International Poetry Festivals of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, both active until 2004, of the 2012 Pablo Neruda International Poetry Prize, and participates in academic and teaching committees in Cuba; he has given lectures and poetry readings at universities and cultural institutions in Cuba, Spain, France, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Chile, Venezuela, Ecuador, Martinique, United States, Macedonia, Italy, Germany, and Morocco; more than three hundred of his texts have been published in magazines, newspapers, and books in those countries and also Peru, Russia, (former USSR), China, Switzerland, Romania, and Portugal. Translated into seven languages, he is also a translator from Portuguese to Spanish.

He is a member of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba, and of its National Council until 2019, of the Economic Society of Friends of the Country and of its Board of Directors until 2019, has been a member of the scientific councils of the Alejo Carpentier Foundation and of the Institute of Literature and Linguistics, as well as of the Nicolás Guillén Foundation and of the councils of degrees and scientific categories of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (Cuba) and of the Faculty of Arts and Letters of the University of La Habana.

Corresponding member of the Historical and Geographic Institute of Brazil, honorary member of the Association of Spanish and Literature Teachers of Mexico; belongs to several Cuban literary chairs; advisor to the Juan Marinello Memorial Library and member of the editorial boards of the magazines Signo Anuario L/L, and Anaconda of Ecuador.

Academic, Scientific and Teaching Degrees
Degree in Hispanic Language and Literature, University of La Habana (1975)
Doctorate in Philological Sciences, University of La Habana (1989)
Senior Researcher (since 1997)
Full Professor (since 1999) of the Faculty of Arts and Letters of the University of La Habana.
Visiting Professor at the universities of Rouen and Caen (2008-2009) in France and Universidad Católica de Chile (2013).

Scientific-Cultural Activity
Member of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), since 1983.
Member of the Editorial Board of La Gaceta de Cuba, UNEAC, from 1985 to 1989.
Member of the Editorial Board of the magazine Signos, since 1990.
Member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Writers of UNEAC, between 1992 and 1994 and of the Poetry Section (2018-2022)
Member of the Editorial Board of the Yearbook L/L, of the Institute of Literature and Linguistics, and of the Editorial Council of the Institution, from 1990 to 2012.
Member of the Commission on Scientific Degrees for the areas of Social Sciences, of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, between 1993 and 2012.
Member of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Literature and Linguistics, from 1990 to 2012.
Member of the Advisory Council of the Juan Marinello Memorial Library, from 1991 until its closure.
Member of the Scientific Council of the Alejo Carpentier Foundation, from 1995 to 2008.
Member of the Economic Society of Friends of the Country, since 1994 and of its Board of Directors between 2015 and 2018.
Member of the Juan Marinello Chair, Central University of Las Villas, since 1989.
Member of the Mercedes Matamoros Chair, of the Provincial Library of Cienfuegos, since 1993.
Head of the Literature Department of the Institute of Literature and Linguistics, and of the Board of Directors of that Institution, from 1994 to 1995.
Honorary Member of the Institute of Friends of Argentine and Latin American Books, since 1995.
Corresponding Member of the Historical and Geographic Institute of Espírito Santo, Brazil, 1998 (for life).
Member of the Mexican Association of Spanish and Literature Teachers, 1997 until (?).
Full Academic of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba since 2003, and Academic of Merit since 2018.
Advisor and member of the Organizing Committee of the International Poetry Festivals of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, from 1996-2004.
Member of the Atlántida Poetry Foundation of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, from 1998-2004.
Scientific Coordinator of the International Conferences on Cultural Identity, IDEAMÉRICA, Ministry of Science, 1995, 1998, and 2001.
Permanent Member of the International Organizing Commission of the Ibero-American Festival-Encounters of the Décima and Improvised Verse (with developments in La Habana, Las Tunas, Veracruz, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria), since 1991.
Advisor to the Casa de la Décima of Las Tunas, since 1996.
Member of the Organizing Commission of the Colloquium for the Celebration of the Centenary of Juan Marinello, 1998.
Member of the Research Board of Advisor, of the American Biographical Institute, Inc., since 1999.
President of the Advisory Council of the Provincial Direction of Books and Literature of Ciudad de La Habana, 1999.
Vice President of the Provincial Commission of "Friends of Books" of Ciudad de La Habana, 1999.
Member of the "Carolina Poncet" Orality Chair, of the Center for Promotion and Development of the Juan Marinello Culture, since 1999.
Member of the Advisory Council of Editorial Arte y Literatura of the Cuban Institute of Books, since 2004.
Member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Nicolás Guillén Foundation, since 2005.
Member of the Advisory Council of the journal VozOtra, Mexico City, from 2005 to 2006 (journal ceased publication).
Member-Attached to the Literature/Thinker Section SKEPSIS, Academy of Semiology and Law, Brazil, 2007.
Member of the Council of the journal Anaconda, Culture and Art, of Quito, Ecuador, 2006…
Member of the Scientific Committee of the journal Cahiers de CRIAR of the University of Rouen, Department of Romance Studies, from 2008 to 2009.
Member of the Juan Bosch Chair of the University of La Habana and the Dominican Republic, 2005…
Professeur Invité, rank of Professeur des Universités (Full Professor), University of Rouen, 2008-2009. *Professeur Invité, rank of Professeur des Universités (Full Professor), University of Caen, 2008.
Member of the Qualification Jury (Jury), University of Rouen, 2009.
President of the Commission on Higher Scientific Categories (Auxiliary and Senior Researchers), for Social Sciences of CITMA, from 2007 to 2012.
Visiting Professor-Writer in Residence at the Universidad Católica de Chile, 2013.
Member of the Commission on Scientific Degrees of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, since 2007, confirmed in 2015, until 2019.
Member of the Organizing Committee for the Centenary of José Lezama Lima, 2010.
Member of the Organizing Committee for the Centenary of Samuel Feijóo, 2013-2014.
Member of the National Council of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba, from 2014 to 2019.
Member of the Board of Directors, Economic Society of Friends of the Country, from 2015 to 2018.
Member of the Advisory Group for the Government Program of Culture, of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba, since 2020.
Member of the Group of Scientific Advisors for the Governmental Program of Cultural Development of the Ministry of Culture, since 2020.

Active Bibliography
Essays
He has edited essay books, among which stand out:
García Márquez: An Uncontainable Vocation, Letras Cubanas, 1982, second enlarged edition, 1987; Editorial José Martí, Russian edition, 1990.
Words from the Background. Study of Cuban Colloquial Poetry, La Habana, 1988.
The Décima. Brief Overview of the Décima in Cuba, 1995.
The Cuban-Canarian Décima Bridge, 1996.
Samuel or the Bee. Study of Samuel Feijóo's Poetics, Editorial Academia, 1994.
Décima and Identity. Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, Editorial Academia, 1997.
Image and Body. Lezama and Sarduy, La Habana, 1998.
Juan Marinello: Transcendent Word, 1998.
The Constant Décima, Fundación Fernando Ortiz, 2000.
Dulce María Loynaz. Studies on the Work of a Universal Cuban Woman (Tenerife, 2000)
Eros and Thanatos. The Poetic Work of Justo Jorge Padrón (Madrid, 2002)
The Renaissance and Baroque Décima (La Habana, 2002)
Tributary Waters (La Habana, 2004)
Narcissus, the Waters, and the Mirror, (Tenerife 2004 and La Habana, 2007).
The Entire Century. The Poetic Discourse of the Cuban Nation in the Twentieth Century, Editorial Oriente, 2008.
Meter, Free Verse, and Experimental Poetry of the Spanish Language, La Habana, Editorial José Martí, 2009. [Annual Prize, Academy of Sciences of Cuba, 2009.] // 2nd Edition: Editorial Luminaria, Sancti Spíritus, 2017. // 3rd Edition Editorial Universitaria Félix Varela, La Habana, 2018.
Gold of Criticism (Essays), Santiago de Cuba, Editorial Oriente, 2013.
Feijóo or the Honeycomb (Essays), La Habana, Editorial Pablo de la Torriente, 2013.
Praises of Poets (Chronicles), Sancti Spíritus, Editorial Luminaria, 2016.
Gravitation of Poetry (Essays), La Habana, Ediciones Unión, 2016.
Threshold for an Imaginary Era. Approaches to Rainer Maria Rilke, Editorial Matanzas, Matanzas, 2017.

Poetry
Toward Light and Toward Life, Editorial Letras Cubanas, 1981.
The Five Senses. Las Tunas, Provincial Center of Books and Literature, 1983.
The Bread of Asher, Editorial Letras Cubanas, 1987.
The Only Age, Ediciones Unión, 1990.
Notebook of Macedonia, Ediciones Extramuros, 1992.
Spanish Concert. In the title: "The Return of the Poet". Ronda, Spain, Colectivo Cultural Giner de los Ríos, 1994.
Palazi della Memoria Trieste, Society of Friendship Italy-Cuba, 1994.// Translation by Gaetano Longo.
Cadernos de otredad/Cuadernos de otredad Instituto Estadual do Livro de Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil/ Tchê! Editores de Livros, 1994. Bilingual Spanish-Portuguese edition.
Quaderno di Macedonia, Supplement to the literary journal Dissonanze, Udine, Italy, 1996.// Translation by Gaetano Longo.
Body of the Day, Ediciones Unión, 2000.
Of Itself, San Lope, 2001.
Tributary Waters, 2004.
The Eternal Age, Ediciones Extramuros, 2005.
A Slight Knock on the Doorknocker (personal poetic anthology), 2006.
The Step, Editorial Letras Cubanas, 2010.
Summer Concert (Anthology of Poems), Porto Alegre, Editora Estadual do Livro, 2014. // Translation and Appendix by José Eduardo Degrazia. Prologue by Cícero Galeno Lopes.
Where the Angel Has Fallen, Matanzas, Ediciones Matanzas, 2016.
Hypno, Collection Sur, La Habana, 2018.
I Write in Human Flesh, Uniediciones, Bogotá, 2018.

Online Publications
Anthological Sampler of Cuban Poetry. One Hundred Poets. 1790-1990. [Selection, prologue, and notes, with photos, 2001] Website on portal: www.cubaliteraria.com

"Samuel Feijóo" Web Page 2001, on portal: www.cubaliteraria.com
Series of biweekly articles: Virtual Fortnight, www.cubaliteraria.cu, Editorial Cubaliteraria, since June 2008.
Series of biweekly articles: Chronicles of a Poor Traveler, www.cubarte.cult.cu, Editorial Cubarte, January-August 2011.
Forty Cuban Love Poems and Two Expected Songs, Poetic Anthology. La Habana, Ediciones Cubaliteraria, online edition and on DVD disk, 2014.
Annotated Anthology of Cuban Poetry, online edition, E-book with mobile phone application, Ediciones Cubaliteraria, La Habana, 2019.

Co-author
--CTC Literary Prize 1984. La Habana, Editorial Letras Cubanas, 1984. "Historical Overview of Preschool Education in Cuba." // Text in collaboration with Carmen Serra Robledo and Romalinda Ambruster Pagán. Essay Prize.
--Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Letters of Latin America (DELAL). 3 volumes. Caracas, Monte Avila Editores--Biblioteca Ayacucho, 1995-1996. Editorial Committee, p. XXVI. Includes by Virgilio López Lemus:
Volume I (letters A-E): "Antón Arrufat" pp. 379-380.
Volume II (letters F-N): "Samuel Feijóo", pp. 1734-1735; "Gabriel García Márquez", p. 1890-1897.
Volume III (letters M-Z): "Severo Sarduy", pp. 4354-4360, and "Luis Suardíaz", pp. 4562-4563.
--Collective of authors, Relevance of Orígenes. La Habana, Editorial Academia, 1996. / Virgilio López Lemus: "Five Rare Baroque Tales" (essay), pp. 5-23.
--"Homage to Lacan. Presentation in Louvain". Round table: August 28, 1999: "The Enigma of Lacan". Edited by Lacanian School of Psychoanalysis of the Freudian Field, Group of Psychoanalytic Studies of La Habana [La Habana, 2000]. / Virgilio López Lemus: "The Myth of Narcissus between Freud and Lacan: an analysis from poetry". pp. 18-21.
--Maximiano Trapero (comp.), The Décima. Its History, Its Geography, Its Manifestations. Zamudio, Biskaia, Center of Popular Culture/ Municipal Chamber of Évora, Portugal, 2001. / Virgilio López Lemus: "Learned Décima", pp. 42-60. / Virgilio López Lemus and Maximiano Trapero: "Current Geography of the Décima", pp. 179-196.
--Collective of Authors. Institute of Literature and Linguistics, History of Cuban Literature. Volume II, Cuban Literature between 1899 and 1958. The Republic, Editorial Letras Cubanas, La Habana, 2003 [published in 2005]. // Includes by Virgilio López Lemus:
--"The Generation of the Fifties. R. Escardó and J. Álvarez Baragaño, pp. 418-438.
--"Essay and Criticism. Evolutionary Development", pp. 663-679.
--"Marxist Essay and Criticism in its First Moment: Mella, Martínez Villena, Foncueva.
--Marxist Essay and Criticism in its Later Development: Roa, Augier, Portuondo, M. Aguirre, and C. R. Rodríguez", pp. 679-696.
--"The Mature Work of Ortiz", pp. 739-750.
Collective of Authors. Institute of Literature and Linguistics, History of Cuban Literature. Volume III, Cuban Literature between 1959 and 1998. The Revolution, Editorial Letras Cubanas, La Habana, 2008 // Includes by Virgilio López Lemus:
--"Lyric Poetry. Overview of its Development", pp. 43-54.
--"The Generation of the Fifties in the Revolution, pp. 99-122.
--"Essay and Criticism Overview of its Development, pp. 391-411.
--"New Contributions by Juan Marinello, Raúl Roa, Ángel Augier, José Antonio Portuondo, Mirta Aguirre, and Carlos Rafael Rodríguez", pp. 411-432.
--"1989-1998: Overview of Poetry", pp. 606-617.
The Cuban Revolution: 1959-1992. Collective Work coordinated by Néstor Ponce, Nantes, Editions du Temps, 2006. / Virgilio López Lemus: "Poetry and Revolution in Cuba (1959-1999)", pp. 71-90.
Various authors, The Painters Write, La Habana, Ediciones Boloña / Alejo Carpentier Foundation, 2012. Prologue by Mario Coyula // Virgilio López Lemus: "Toward a Multiple Understanding of Samuel Feijóo", pp. 165-176.
Works and Characters of Cuban Literature, Two volumes, Editorial Letras Cubanas, La Habana, 2016. Coordinator.

Anthologies
He has published seven volumes of anthologies of twentieth-century Cuban poetry in Cuba, Brazil, Italy, and Spain, among them:

Two Hundred Years of Cuban Poetry (1790-1990).
One Hundred Anthological Poems (La Habana, 1999).
Candid Summer (Málaga, 2007).
Laurel of the Free (anthology of Latin American poets), 2010.

Filmography
Idalberto Betancourt, Virgilio López Lemus, Poetry Reason for Life, documentary, 16 min, Holguín-La Habana, 2015.
Raydel Araoz, The Island and the Signs, documentary, medium-length film, 90 min. La Habana, 2014. // Interview segment with Virgilio López Lemus.

Passive Bibliography
(Includes prologues, articles, reviews, and other texts referring to the published work of Virgilio López Lemus)

Basilia Papastamatíu: "Toward Light and Toward Life, by Virgilio López Lemus". Juventud Rebelde. La Habana, October 20, 1981, p. 4.
Raúl Luis: "Virgilio López Lemus". Cuba Internacional Magazine. La Habana, November 1982, p. 52.
"Launch of the book García Márquez: An Uncontainable Vocation." (Review). Cartelera. La Habana, June 3-9, 1982, p. 6.
Mercedes Santos Moray: "García Márquez: Critical Assessment". Trabajadores Newspaper. La Habana, December 9, 1982, Year XII, No. 291, p. 2.
Omar Perdomo: "Literature in Las Tunas. On The Five Senses". Juventud Rebelde. La Habana, September 7, 1983, p. 3.
Mirta Yáñez: "García Márquez, an Inexhaustible Topic". Journal of the José Martí National Library. La Habana, January-April 1983, Year 74, Third Period, Vol. XXV, No. 1, p. 240-242.
Waldo González López: "Virgilio López Lemus: Toward Light and Toward Life". University of La Habana. La Habana, May-August 1983, No. 220, p. 231-232.
Susana A. Montero: "On García Márquez: An Uncontainable Vocation." Bulletin of Summaries and Reviews. Academy of Sciences of Cuba, La Habana, July-December 1984, Year 1, No. 1, p. 72-75.
Fernando Rodríguez Sosa: "Carpentier Interviewed". Granma. March 29, 1986, p. 4.
Sergio Chaple: "Alejo Carpentier: Interviews. Compilation, Selection, Prologue, and Notes by Virgilio López Lemus". Yearbook L/L. La Habana, 1986, No. 17, p. 132-134.
Waldo González López: "Virgilio: Life as an Anthem". Verde Olivo. La Habana, September 3, 1987, Year XXVIII, p. 60.
Reinaldo González: "García Márquez Revisited". Unión. La Habana, 1987, No. 4, p. 70.
Fermín Carlos Díaz: "Virgilio, His Nostalgia and Loves". Tribuna de La Habana. La Habana, March 13, 1988, p. 3.
Fernando Rodríguez Sosa: "Words of Colloquialism". Granma. La Habana, December 29, 1988, p. 5.
Jesús Orta Ruíz: "New Poetry Book by Virgilio López Lemus". Unión. La Habana, October-December 1988, No. 4, p. 76-78.
Rafael Almanza: "Words from the Background, by Virgilio López Lemus". Resonancias. Camagüey, July 1989, No. 7, p. 101.
Salvador Bueno: "Virgilio López Lemus: Words from the Background". Journal of Cuban Literature. La Habana, July-December 1989, Year VII, No. 13, p. 153-154.
Susana A. Montero: "Virgilio López Lemus: Words from the Background". Yearbook L/L. La Habana, 1991, No. 22, p. 130-136.
Alberto Acosta-Pérez: "The Only Age: A Serene Book, Very Serene". Revolution and Culture. La Habana, January 1992, No. 1, p. 55-56.
Luis Suardíaz: "Feijóo and the Bee". Granma. La Habana, April 16, 1996, Year 32, No. 76, p. 6.
Mercedes Santos Moray: "What Is Being Written?: Virgilio López Lemus". Trabajadores. La Habana, November 4, 1996, p. 10.
Rodríguez Sosa, Fernando: "Professional Researcher". Granma. La Habana, Year 34, No. 130.
Waldo González López: "Of What I Was, Of That Other..." [On Body of the Day.] Juventud Rebelde. La Habana. No. 956, Tuesday November 21, 2000, p. 5.
"Poet and Essayist Virgilio López Lemus Wins the V Agustín Millares Carlo Prize". La Provincia. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, December 17, 2003, "Cultures", p. 50.
Waldo González López: "The Other Virgilio: Cuban Poet and Essayist". Education. No. 111, La Habana, January-April, Second Period, pp. 62-63.
Marta Rojas: "Art of Stealing, Seventeenth-Century Portuguese Classic in Spanish", Granma Internacional, La Habana, April 30, 2006, Year 41, No. 18, p. 3, in Spanish, Portuguese, French, and English.
Roberto Carlos Hernández Ferro, "The Anthology 'Romancero' by Pedro de Padilla is Published", El Sol de México, Mexico City, September 11, 2006, p. 3D. On Treasure of Various Poetry.
Jorge Ángel Hernández: Virgilio López Lemus: Gold, Criticism, and Ulysses, or Believing in Poetry", Yearbook L/L, 35 Literary Studies 19, La Habana, [2007], p. 155-158.
Sonia Sánchez, "A Myth as a Pretext", [On Narcissus, the Waters, and the Mirror], Granma, La Habana, Friday April 11, 2008, p. 12.
Waldo González López: "The Paper That Dies Between Your Fingers" [On Cautious Summer, Poetry Book]. www.cubarte.cult.cu, May 6, 2008.
Emmanuel Tornés Reyes, "Virgilio's Poetic Century" [On The Entire Century], La Jiribilla Digital, La Habana, Year VII, April 2009.
Hans-Otto Hill, "Virgilio López Lemus: The Entire Century", [Review], Iberoamericana. Latin America, Spain, Portugal. Editorial Vervent, Madrid, 2009, pp. 218-219.
Yuri Rodríguez González, "Narcissus, Poetry, and Poets. New Essay Book by Virgilio López Lemus", Journal of the José Martí National Library, La Habana, Year 100, Nos. 1-4, January-December 2009, pp. 252-253.
Sonia Sánchez, "Confessions: Poetry Is as Temporal as Life", CubaSí, La Habana, March 21, 2010.
[Roberto Manzano] "López Lemus, Virgilio. Meter, Free Verse, and Experimental Poetry of the Spanish Language…" Review. Amnios, La Habana, No. 3, December 2010, pp. 154-155.
[Anthology of Poetry on the Independence of Our America], El Cañonazo, La Habana, No. 4, February 13, 2011, p. 3.
Cícero Galeno Lopes, "The Defenseless Man Treads on the Uncertain", Prologue to Summer Concert, Porto Alegre, Editora Gazeta, pp. 11-14.
Jose Eduardo Degrazia, "Virgilio López Lemus and Cuban Poetry", Epilogue to Summer Concert, Porto Alegre, Editora Gazeta, pp. 85-93.
Madeleine Sautié, "Gravitating Around Virgilio", Granma, No. 68, Year 53, Wednesday March 22, 2017, p. 6.
Fernando Aínsa, "Narcissus Reflected in Cuban Waters: An Approach to the Poetics of Virgilio López Lemus", in Residence and Transit of Letters in Aragón, Zaragoza, Pregunta Ediciones, 2017, pp. 186-197.
José Antonio Michelena, "Virgilio López Lemus: A Visit to His Mirror", in Pursuing the Deer. Criticism of Literature and Arts, La Habana, Ediciones Extramuros, 2017, pp. 17-25.
Arleen Alentado, "International Poetry Festival of La Habana Awards Virgilio López Lemus", Granma, La Habana, No. 129, Year 54, Thursday May 31, 2016, p. 8.
Pedro Péglez, "The Rafael Alberti Award Granted to Virgilio López Lemus", Trabajadores, La Habana, June 3, 2018. Digital edition.
Zurelyz López Amaya, The Chosen Boat, La Habana, Ediciones Unión, 2018. "A Poet of Silence", pp. 111-122.
Basilia Papastamatiu, "Hypno, A Dream and an Elegy of Love", La Letra del Escriba, No. 156, La Habana, 2019, p. 13.
José Antonio Michelena, "Poetry at the Center of the Flame. López Lemus and the Exercise of Constancy", Palabra Nueva. Journal of the Archdiocese of La Habana, Year XXVII, No. 285, January 2019, pp. 63-64.
José Luis Estrada Betancourt, "Virgilio López Lemus. My Life Is Ruled by the Poet", journal Alero, Camagüey, Special Edition, November 2019, p. 6.
Carmen Serrano, "The Angel and the Hypno: A Reflection on Virgilio López Lemus", in From Poetry to Essay, Editorial José Martí, La Habana, 2019, pp. 93-105.

Awards and Honors
Abel Santamaría Distinction, awarded by the UJC/FEU at the University of La Habana, 1973.
Most Outstanding Researcher of the School of Letters and Art and of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of La Habana, in the 1975 graduating class.
Medal Builders of the Future, awarded by the UJC/Youth Brigades, 1976.
Commemorative Medal of the XXV Anniversary of the Literacy Campaign, awarded by the Ministry of Education, 1986.
Distinction for National Culture, Ministry of Culture, 1995.
Distinguished Son of the Province of Sancti Spíritus.
Distinguished Visitor of Veracruz, Mexico.
Foreign Writer of the Year, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 1996.
Recognition from the Canary Government for its Contributions to the Study of the Décima, Spain.
International Prize for Essay, Research, and Humanities "Millares Carlo," awarded by the Government of the Canary Community.
La Guayabera Distinction, awarded by the Provincial Direction of Culture and Art of Sancti Spíritus.
Commemorative Medal of the XL Anniversary of the FAR, for participation in the National Literacy Campaign in 1961; awarded by the State Council, 1998.
"Municipal Symbol". Distinction conferred by the Municipal Government of Fomento, Province of Sancti Spíritus: "For being a son of this Municipality and prominent figure of the Cuban literary movement", 1998.
"Tropical Gypsy" Distinction, Diploma conferred by the Provincial Direction of Culture of Ciudad de La Habana, 1999.
Recognition Diploma from the Government of the Canary Islands, for its Contributions to the Study of the Décima, 2001.
Scientific-Technical Criticism Prize 1999. (Awarded January 2001) for The Constant Décima. Oral and Written Traditions. Awarded by the Cuban Institute of Books and Academy of Sciences of Cuba.
"Distinguished Son" of the Province of Sancti Spíritus, awarded by the Provincial Assembly of the People's Power, 2001.
National Prize for Scientific Research of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba, 2001. Certificate of Merit from the University of Matanzas, "For Your Contribution to the Study of the Décima in Cuba", 2002.
"Cucalambé's Lute", Distinction of the Provincial Direction of Literature of Las Tunas and of the Cucalambean Days, 2003.
Recognition Diploma from the Provincial Direction of Books and Literature of Ciudad de La Habana, "For Your Exemplary Work in Promoting and Disseminating Books in the City", 2003.
International Prize for Essay "Millares Carlo," for Research and Humanities. National Distance Education University—Government of the Canary Community, 2003, for your book Narcissus, the Waters, and the Mirror. A Speculation on Poetry.
"Rose of Cienfuegos", Distinction from the Provincial Government of Cienfuegos, in "Recognition of Your Outstanding Intellectual Work" (Includes medal and diploma), 2004.
Diploma of Honor from the Provincial UNEAC of Sancti Spíritus, for His Sixtieth Birthday, 2006.
Distinction "Duty and Honor", by Resolution of the José Martí Cultural Society, Branch of the Province of Sancti Spíritus, on the Occasion of His Sixtieth Birthday, 2006.
National Vanguard of the National Union of Workers in Science, 2006.
Carlos J. Finlay Order, awarded by the State Council, 2008.
"Distinguished Son" of the City of Cienfuegos, awarded by the Municipal Assembly of the People's Power, 2008.
"May Hope Come" Prize, from the Hermanos Saíz Association, 2008.
The XLI Cucalambean Days are dedicated to him, Las Tunas,