Eduardo Rafael Heras León

His life and work bear the marks of peculiar and difficult moments, but above all the light of fidelity and love for his country, which even in the midst of the hurricane of misunderstandings kept him firm on the path of essences.

Outstanding Cuban writer. Founder of the Onelio Jorge Cardoso Literary Training Workshop in 1998, today the Literary Training Center. He is considered one of the most important ballet critics in the country. Master in book editing. In 1990 he received the Distinction for National Culture. He was awarded the National Editing Prize 2001 and the National Literature Prize 2014.

Throughout his life he has cultivated mainly the short story genre, although he has also written essays and poetry. He has been the director of the Onelio Jorge Cardoso Literary Training Center since its founding and through his work in this institution has helped the artistic and literary development of various generations of writers in Cuba.

Chino Heras was born in Cerro. In 1952, at age 12, he lost his father and had to begin working as a shoeshine boy, newspaper seller, lottery ticket seller, portal cleaner and other similar trades. That same year he obtained his first literary award: first prize in a competition on "Martí and Children," convened by the Association of Catholic Teachers, in which young people from all upper primary schools in Havana participated.

After completing 8th grade in 1953, he entered the Normal School for Teachers in Havana, where he completed his teaching studies in 1958 (he did not process his degree that year, as a gesture of protest against the Batista dictatorship, which he made official in 1959). At the Normal School he was closely linked to the "July 26 Movement," within which he participated in student actions against the dictatorship. When the Revolution triumphed, he was appointed M-26-7 delegate at that school.

He completed a degree in Journalism and Philology from the University of Havana.

Barely beginning the 1960-1961 school year and responding to Fidel's call, he volunteered for training courses for the first militia artillery units. He completed the 62 km march and was stationed at the La Cabaña fortress and later at the Baracoa Base, where he received the 120 mm Mortar Course. There he was selected as the best Sergeant-Annotator and due to his combat shooting results was invited to participate as an Officer in the January 2 parade, 1961 at Revolution Square. Almost finishing the instructor course, and during the execution of combat shooting (it was April 15, 1961), they were urgently transferred to Baracoa Base due to the mercenary invasion at Girón Beach. Heras was designated second chief of Battery 7 of 120 mm mortars, with which he participated in the Girón Beach battles.

He fought in the Battle of Girón Beach. In 1970 he receives Unique Mention for the book Los pasos en la hierba in the competition convened by Casa de las Américas. One of the stories in this book: La noche del capitán was harshly questioned for allegedly reflecting "ideological deviations." And then despair, sadness, closed doors… due to a well-known controversy in the ideological-cultural field, provoked especially by critic Otra mención a los Pasos, by Roberto Díaz, in Caimán Barbudo, which unleashed storms against the young intellectual.

Some made quite strong and ridiculous ideological challenges. Heras was expelled from the Editorial Board of the aforementioned publication and from the School of Journalism, where he was in his fourth year. Few stood by him, among them Silvio Rodríguez and Senel Paz. When expelled from the University of Havana, he was sent to work as a laborer at the Antillana de Acero steel company during the period known in Cuba as the "Gray Five Years." Based on his experiences in this factory, Heras León later wrote the short story book Acero.

During his time at the Vanguardia Socialista Factory, a steel foundry and forge, he held positions from worker-forger and furnace operator to master of all levels, professor at the Worker-Peasant Faculty, Training Director and Chief of Human Resources. He worked at the factory until 1976, when he resumed his studies at the University. In 1978 he completed those studies and obtained degrees as Bachelor of Journalism and Bachelor of Philology.

In 1976 he began working at the Art and Literature Publishing House of the Cuban Institute of the Book (ICL), as editor-writer, and in 1977 published his short story book Acero. He was a founder of Editorial Letras Cubanas, where he held the position of Editor, and later Chief of the Narrative Editorial Board.

In 1981 he published his short story book A fuego limpio. In 1983 he won the National UNEAC Prize for short stories with his book Cuestión de principio, which also received the Critics' Prize in 1986. The homonymous story was brought to television in 1986 with great success and received the CTC Prize in the III International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. In 1985 he became Subdirector of the Literature Department of the ICL, where he remained until 1990, when he was appointed Director of Editorial Casa de las Américas, a position he held until 2000.

In 1990 a second edition of Los pasos en la hierba was published and the short story anthology La nueva guerra. That same year he received the Distinction for National Culture. Based on the experience of the first course of the Workshop—which he explained to the Commander in Chief at one of the Plenary Sessions of UNEAC's National Council—the idea of Universidad Para Todos emerged, one of the Revolution's most ambitious and extraordinary cultural projects. Precisely, based on the Workshop's program, the course that inaugurated Universidad Para Todos was organized: a course on Narrative Techniques by television that was taught in October 2000.

On the occasion of the project's first anniversary, he received from the Commander in Chief's hands the diploma and replica of the Martí from the Anti-Imperialist Tribune. Finally, in December 2001, he was awarded the National Editing Prize, which he received during the International Book Fair of Havana in its 2002 edition. He has practiced literary criticism and is considered one of the most important ballet critics in the country.

Current
He is currently First Vice President of the Association of Writers of UNEAC.

Important Achievements and Contributions
He worked as a professor of Hispanic American Literature, Writing and Journalistic Technique, and History of America at the University of Havana. He is founder of the Onelio Jorge Cardoso Literary Training Workshop in 1998, today the Literary Training Center. He practiced literary and dance criticism in national publications: Granma, Juventud Rebelde, Revolución y Cultura, Unión, Casa, Cuba en el Ballet and in other foreign publications from Mexico, Spain, etc.

He was editor-in-chief of the newspaper Alma Mater and narrative editor at Letras Cubanas, editor of Editorial Letras Cubanas, Subdirector of Literature at ICL, Director of Editorial Casa de las Américas. He currently serves as director of the Onelio Jorge Cardoso Literary Training Center and First Vice President of the Association of Writers of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC).

He has represented Cuba in multiple international events, book fairs, congresses and international writers' meetings. He has given lectures in: USSR (1984), GDR (1986), Argentina (1988-1990), FRG (1988), Spain (1988 and 1996), Brazil (1992), Santiago de Chile (1992), Canada (for several years), Colombia (1994), Venezuela (1994), Italy (1997), Mexico (1991), Martinique and United States (1999 and 2001). He has also conducted seminars and workshops on Narrative Techniques in: Dominican Republic (1997), Mexico (1998 and 1999), Cuba (1999 and 2001), Uruguay (1987) and Colombia (1995).

From his narrative workshop came the idea of Universidad para Todos, a project inaugurated with a Seminar on Narrative Techniques by TV, in October 2000. He has been a judge in national and foreign contests, such as Concurso David, UNEAC Contest, Casa de las Américas and International Festival of New Latin American Cinema.

Awards, Distinctions and Recognition

He has been awarded various prizes and recognition including:

David Prize 1968, from UNEAC, for the short story book La guerra tuvo seis nombres
Unique Mention in the Casa de las Américas contest 1970, in the short story genre, for the book Los pasos en la hierba
National Luis Felipe Rodríguez Prize 1983, from UNEAC, for the book Cuestión de principio
National Critics' Prize 1986, for the book Cuestión de principio
Razón de Ser Prize 1986, from the Alejo Carpentier Center, for a novel project
CTC Prize 1986 and Mention in its genre at the VIII International Festival of New Latin American Cinema
National Chronicles Prize 1990, in the July 26 Contest, from UPEC, for "El último caso del inspector," a chronicle about Luis Rogelio Nogueras
Special Ministry of Culture Prize 1990, in the July 26 Contest, from UPEC, for the interview with Silvio Rodríguez titled "Silvio: Vivo, luego canto"
Distinction for National Culture 1990, from the Ministry of Culture

Upon receiving the National Literature Prize 2014.
Nicolás Guillén Diploma 2000, from UNEAC
Majadahonda Distinction 2000, from UNEAC
Gitana Tropical Distinction 2000, from the Provincial Culture Authority of Havana
National Editing Prize 2001, Alejo Carpentier Contest
Replica of the Machete of Major General Serafín Sánchez 2006, Sancti Spíritus
Master of Youth Distinction 2007, from the Hermanos Saíz Association
Replica of the Machete of Generalissimo Máximo Gómez 2008
Félix Elmuza Order 2009, from UPEC
Plaque of Recognition José María Heredia y Heredia 2010, the highest distinction awarded by the Provincial Culture Authority in Santiago de Cuba
50th Anniversary Medal 2014, from UPEC
National Literature Prize 2014, awarded by the Cuban Institute of the Book of the Ministry of Culture[1].
National Literature Prize of Colombia
Adopted Son of the City of Matanzas (March 2019), distinction granted by the Municipal Assembly of People's Power in the yumurino territory[2].
El Libro Alto, distinction awarded to prominent figures in Cuban culture by the Provincial Center of Books and Literature of Matanzas
45th Anniversary Recognition from the University of Matanzas
Prize of Dignity, which recognizes his work in favor of the advancement of journalists, awarded on the occasion of Cuban Press Day at the José Martí Memorial in Revolution Square (March 2019)
International Prize from Casa del Teatro of Santo Domingo
Additionally, he received the 25 Years Plaque from Central University of Colombia. Some of his short stories, as co-screenwriter, have been brought to film, these are: Cuestión de principio and La nueva guerra, the first obtained a prize at the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana.

Publications
La guerra tuvo seis nombres (Short story, David Prize UNEAC 1968), in several editions
Los pasos en la hierba (Short story, Unique Mention, CASA Prize 1970), in several editions
Acero (Short story), Editorial Letras Cubanas, 1977 and 1989
A fuego limpio (Short story), Editorial Letras Cubanas, 1981
Cuestión de principio (Short story, National UNEAC Prize 1983 and National Critics' Prize 1986), Unión Editions, Havana, 1986 and 1993
La nueva guerra (Short story Anthology), Editorial Letras Cubanas, 1989
Balada para un amor posible (Pamphlet), Extramuros Editions, 1992
La noche del capitán (Anthology), UNAM, 1995
Balada para un amor possível, Fundacao Memorial da América Latina. Sao Paulo, 1996
Los desafíos de la ficción, in several editions
El viejo y el horno, Secretaría de Cultura, Mexico, 2009
Desde la platea, Editorial José Martí, 2010
Dolce vita, Unión Editions, 2012
Final de día y otros cuentos, Banda Oriental Editions, Montevideo, 2015
Cuentos completos, in several editions