Cintio Vitier Bolaños

Cintio Vitier was a prominent Cuban poet, narrator, essayist, and critic.

A Doctor of Laws, he held important professorships at the Escuela Normal para Maestros de La Habana and at the Universidad Central de Las Villas. He is Doctor Honoris Causa of the Universidad de La Habana, the Universidad Central de Las Villas, and the Universidad Soka de Japón.

His poetry, described by himself as "the testimony of a silence that wanted to express itself", constitutes a valuable contribution to Hispanic letters. «La voz arrasadora», «Examen del maniqueo» «Compromiso» and «Torre de marfil» are some of his best poetic works.

He obtained numerous distinctions among which stand out: the National Prize for Literature in 1988, the Juan Rulfo Prize in 2002, the title of Officer of Arts and Letters of France and the medal of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba.

Linked in his early years to the group of the Orígenes magazine, together with other prominent names in Cuban literature, such as José Lezama Lima, Eliseo Diego or Fina García Marruz, his work took a turn toward political and social commitment from the 1960s onward, in part due to the influence of Nicaraguan poet Ernesto Cardenal.

He was the son of educator Medardo Vitier. He made his first studies at the "Froebel" school, founded by his father in the Cuban town of Matanzas. In 1935 he moved with his family to La Habana, where he continued his studies at the "La Luz" school, in which he had as a schoolmate the future poet Eliseo Diego. Later he pursued higher education at the Universidad de La Habana, a period during which he edited the Clavileño magazine (1942-1943). He earned a doctorate in Civil Law in 1947, although he never practiced as a lawyer.

During his university years, Vitier became friends with José Lezama Lima and Fina García Marruz, whom he would marry in 1947. He was a member of the editorial board of the Orígenes magazine, directed by José Lezama Lima and José Rodríguez Feo, and one of the most important magazines in Cuban literary history. He also collaborated in many other Cuban literary magazines, such as Espuela de Plata, Poeta, Lunes de Revolución, Casa de las Américas, Unión, etc.

He worked, between 1947 and 1961, as a French teacher at the Escuela Normal para Maestros de La Habana. Later he was also a teacher of Cuban and Spanish American literature at the Universidad Central de Las Villas. He directed several magazines, including the Nueva Revista Cubana, the Revista de la Biblioteca Nacional "José Martí" and the Anuario Martiano. He is considered one of the most important scholars of the work of José Martí. He presided over the Centro de Estudios Martianos.

He received numerous prizes, among which stand out the National Prize for Literature in 1988, the Juan Rulfo Prize in 2002, the title of Officer of Arts and Letters of France, and the medal of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba. He presided over the Centro de Estudios Martianos. He received honorary doctorates from the Universidad de La Habana, the Universidad Central de Las Villas, and the Universidad Soka de Japón.

Poetry
Poemas (1937-1938) (1938)
Sedienta cita (1943)
Experiencia de la poesía (1944)
De mi provincia (1945)
Extrañeza de estar (1945)
Capricho y homenaje (1947)
El hogar y el olvido: 1946-1949 (1949)
Sustancia (1950)
Conjeturas (1951)
Vísperas 1938-1953 (1953)
Canto llano (1954-1955) (1956)
Escrito y cantado (1954-1959) (1959)
Testimonios (1966)
Vísperas
La fecha al pie
Nupcias
Un extraño honor

Novels
De peña pobre
Los papeles de Jacinto Finalé
Rajando la leña está

Essays
Lo cubano en la poesía (1958)
Poética (1961)
Crítica sucesiva (1971)
Ese sol del mundo moral (1975)

Anthologies of Cuban Poetry
Diez poetas cubanos 1937-1947
Cincuenta años de poesía cubana. 1902-1952
Las mejores poesías cubanas
Los grandes románticos cubanos
Los poetas románticos cubanos

Cintio had two sons, Sergio and José María Vitier García Marrúz, both prominent Cuban musicians.