Eliseo de Jesús de Diego Fernánez Cuervo

He was born on Compostela Street No. 56, at twelve twenty in the afternoon, in the city of Havana, son of Berta Fernández-Cuervo y Giberga and the Asturian Constante de Diego González.

He lived on the Villa Berta estate, in Arroyo Naranjo, until age nine. The house was built by his father, with help from the workers of his furniture store, Casa Borbolla.

Constante planted all the trees on the estate (which had more than 5123 square meters) and designed its spaces and grounds. Of this place Eliseo said: "the paradise of my childhood has a name: Arroyo Naranjo, a town near Havana" (in the lecture "Through My Mirror," read at the National Library in 1970).

On November 11, 1921, Bella Esther García-Marruz Badía was born, future wife of Eliseo Diego.

In 1926 Eliseo traveled with his family through France and Switzerland. On repeated occasions he mentions his trip to France as a key moment in his poetic formation. In the lecture "Through My Mirror," he states: "What would have become of me without the penumbra of the immense forests of Auvergne, without the Roman baths of Royat, without the acrobatics of the guignol in the twilight parks? My first poetry teachers are named Luigi, the 'maître' of the Hotel León, in Royat, and Olga, his wife (...) They deserve the small glory of having opened the paths of the soul to an obscure minor poet from the Antilles, God bless them, and they never came to know it." To this trip and to these friends his poem "Hymn to the Last Days" is dedicated (in: Through My Mirror, Havana, 1981).

In 1928 he writes his first children's stories. In 1929, as a result of the Great Depression, Eliseo's father loses his business. They rent out the Arroyo Naranjo house and move to Vedado (Eliseo will return to live in this house in 1953, with his three children, his wife, and his mother).

In 1936 Eliseo appears as one of the directors (and librarian) of the monthly newspaper El Estudiante, official publication of the La Luz School City. La Luz School was located on 2nd and 21st streets in Vedado. Cintio Vitier and Eliseo met at this school (Cintio came to Havana, from Matanzas, due to the appointment of his father, Medardo Vitier, as Secretary of Education in the Mendieta government. Medardo would soon step down from the position).

On September 21, the first issue of the magazine Luz was published, directed and written by Cintio and Eliseo (Cintio signed as "Cynthio"). On November 10, 1936, the second issue of the magazine Luz came out. This issue included articles by Eliseo, Cintio, and other people: Dr. Joaquín Añorga, Amado Nervo, Rosa Amparo Añorga, Raúl Santo Tomás, and Luis Sánchez de Fuentes. Around this time they met María Zambrano and attended lectures given by her at the University of Havana (especially, Eliseo remembered the one she gave on "The Confessions" by Saint Augustine).

In 1937 he begins his secondary education studies at the Instituto de La Habana (Zulueta and San José). On July 14, 1939, he obtains the title of Bachelor of Letters and Sciences.

Decade of the '40s
In 1940 he enrolls at the University of Havana. Academic Year 1940-1941. Official Education. Registration No. 2-4269. Legal and Commercial Sciences (he never completed his Law studies).

In 1941 Eliseo and Bella meet at the University of Havana (They do not complete their studies. Later they will enroll in Education). Bella and Fina García Marruz lived on Neptune 308, in Havana. The gatherings at their house became known, years later, as "El Turco Sentado," an enigmatic name given by Agustín Pi. Around this time Eliseo lived on 7th Street, No. 60, between 8th and 10th, La Sierra, Havana.

In August 1942, the first issue of the magazine Clavileño came out (which lasted until February 1943), founded by Cintio and Gastón Baquero. Clavileño brought together Fina and Bella García-Marruz, Octavio Smith, Agustín Pi, Justo Rodríguez Santos, and Virgilio Piñera. In its first issue "Boabdil" appears, a poetic prose by Eliseo, the first important text published under the signature of Eliseo de Diego. Eliseo publishes his first book In the Dark Hands of Oblivion (stories) (Clavileño Editions. Serafín García Workshop, on San Miguel No. 657, Havana). This first edition contains only three stories. Later an expanded second edition would be made, and it is the one that appears in Selected Prose, 1983.

On January 12, 1944, Eliseo's father, Constante de Diego González, died. First issue of the magazine Orígenes, directed by José Lezama Lima and José Rodríguez Feo. Eliseo was one of its founders, along with Cintio Vitier, Fina García Marruz, Octavio Smith, Agustín Pi, Julián Orbón, Gastón Baquero, Ángel Gaztelu, and Virgilio Piñera, among others. The poets gathered around the magazine Orígenes became known, later, as the "Orígenes Group."

On March 12, 1946, he publishes his book of poetic prose Diversions (Orígenes Editions. Úcar, García Workshops, S.A., Teniente Rey No. 15, Havana). Eliseo travels, for health reasons, to the United States. Eliseo, Bella, and Fina personally meet José Lezama Lima. Until then, only Cintio knew him. Eliseo and Fina were cooperating in Orígenes, but without knowing him. Bella always tells the anecdote of how she spoke with him, at the Librería Económica (O'Reilly 466, near the corner of Villegas), when she was looking for a book by León Bloy, The Poor Woman, to give to Eliseo as a gift. Lezama gave it to him and, in the dedication, he wrote: "To the García Marruz sisters, to their distinction and temperament," dated March 1946. Between 1946 and 1949, approximately, Eliseo lived on Línea Street, No. 252, Apt. 3A, in Vedado.

On October 3, 1947, Dr. Sergio García-Marruz y Marruz, Bella's father, died. Eliseo begins working as Inspector of English at the Ministry of Education, a position he holds until 1959.

Between July 16 and 17, 1948, Bella and Eliseo were married at the Church of Bauta. They were married civilly by Octavio Smith, poet and family friend; and religiously by Father Ángel Gaztelu, also poet and friend. They spent their honeymoon in the United States (Miami, New York, and Washington).

On January 5, 1949, On the Boulevard of Jesus del Monte is published (completed in 1947. Orígenes Editions. Úcar, García Workshops, S.A., Teniente Rey No. 15, Havana). On July 6, Constante Alejandro (Rapi) is born, the first child of Bella and Eliseo. Eliseo, Bella, and Berta live in a house in Vedado, on 13th Street, No. 1058, upper floor, between 12th and 14th. The Arroyo Naranjo house is rented out.

Decade of the '50s
On September 10, 1951, María Josefina (Fefé) and Eliseo Alberto (Lichi) are born, "the Twins." On January 26, 1952, Eliseo completes his High School at Wingate Junior College, North Carolina, United States (his mother, Berta, wanted Eliseo to obtain these "credits" for his future work as an English teacher).

In 1953 Bella, Eliseo, Berta, and the three children move to the Villa Berta estate, in Arroyo Naranjo, family property. This house will be the setting for multiple family gatherings and meetings of members of his Orígenes generation.

In 1955 he begins studying Education at the University of Havana. In 1956 the last issue of the magazine Orígenes is published. On May 10, 1958, he publishes Through Strange Towns, his second poetry book (Úcar, García Workshops, S.A., Teniente Rey No. 15, Havana). (August 28) Eliseo gives a lecture at the Lyceum of Havana, titled "This Afternoon We Have Gathered..."

On March 23, 1959, the literary supplement of the newspaper Revolution, Monday of Revolution, begins circulation (until November 6, 1961, with a total of 129 issues), in which there were strong criticisms of members of the Orígenes Group. According to opinions published in La Gaceta de Cuba (May-June 1993), "in Monday there succeeded polemical confrontations that do not avoid passionate attacks and even extremist and erratic questionings, such as diatribes against Lezama Lima and the Orígenes Group." Eliseo and Bella complete their Education degree at the University of Havana. Eliseo Diego teaches English and American Literature classes in special courses held at the House of the Americas.

Decade of the '60s
On February 7, 1962, Josefina, the mother of Bella and Fina, dies. Eliseo holds the position of head of the Department of Literature and Children's Stories of the "José Martí" National Library until 1970. He performs translations and versions of the most important figures of children's literature in the world.

On September 30, 1966, after eight years of silence, Eliseo published The Dark Splendor (Poetry. Belic Editions, Girón Notebooks, Havana), one of his favorite books.

In 1967 Arca Editorial, from Uruguay, publishes Diversions and Versions, with a foreword by Ida Vitale. On December 22, the Cuban Letters Collection publishes Sample of the World or Book of the Wonders of Bologna (poetry and poetic prose). He participates as a judge in the literary contest of the House of the Americas. He attends the "Encounter with Rubén Darío" held in Varadero.

In 1968 he visits the Soviet Union (Azerbaijan and Moscow) for the first time. He attends the commemorative acts for the birth of Iván Turguéniev. In February 1969, the family leaves the estate in Arroyo Naranjo and moves to the house on E Street No. 503, ground floor, between 21st and 23rd, in Vedado. He teaches as a professor of General Literature at the National School of Library Technicians of the Ministry of Culture.

Decade of the '70s
In September 1970, Versions, poetic prose, is published in Havana (Union Editions, Contemporary Collection). Eliseo reads the lecture "Through My Mirror" at the National Library. He begins working as an editor of the Union magazine of the Union of Cuban Writers and Artists (UNEAC). He begins his work as a member of the UNEAC publications commission.

In 1971 he travels to the Soviet Union, to the Festival in Tribute to Pushkin. In 1972 he travels again to the Soviet Union, to the Congress of Soviet Literature of the Republic of Uzbekistan. He visits Hungary. In 1973 Union Editions publishes Naming Things, a book that collects the complete texts of On the Boulevard of Jesus del Monte, Through Strange Towns, The Dark Splendor, Versions, a brief selection from Sample of the World or Book of the Wonders of Bologna, and a group of previously unpublished poems.

In 1975 he meets Gabriel García Márquez in Havana, with whom he maintained a warm friendship. The News of the Chimera appears (stories), published by Union Editions. On August 9, 1976, José Lezama Lima dies in Havana. Eliseo gives lectures at Uppsala University, Sweden.

In 1977 Ismael is born, Eliseo's first grandchild, son of Rapi and Roxana de los Ríos. Union Editions publishes The Days of Your Life (poetry). He is invited by the Union of Writers of the Soviet Union to spend a vacation with his wife in Pitsunda, on the Black Sea.

In 1978 Editorial Visor, of Madrid, publishes Sample of the World and Book of the Wonders of Bologna. In 1979 the Maksim Gorki Prize is awarded in Moscow to Eliseo Diego for his Spanish versions of poems by great Russian writers. The House of the Americas publishes a record, in its collection Word of This America, with twenty poems read by Eliseo. Later they reissue it on cassette.

Decade of the '80s
In 1980 he visits Nicaragua. He meets José Coronel Urtecho. They travel to the Atlantic Coast.

In 1981 Union Editions publishes Through My Mirror (poetry). On August 5, Berta Fernández-Cuervo Giberga, Eliseo's mother, dies at the age of 89. In October he visits Bulgaria and the Soviet Union. He meets his daughter Josefina in Moscow.

On February 13, 1982, Doctor Sergio García Marruz Badía, brother of Bella and Fina, dies. Editorial Letras Cubanas publishes Inventory of Wonders (poetry), which wins the Critics' Prize that year. He travels to the United States invited by the Center for Cuban Studies and by the Circle of Cuban Culture of New York to give lectures at different North American universities. He visits Madrid with his wife Bella. They meet the Spanish writer, María Zambrano. In July he participates in the Week of the Latin American Novel in Venezuela, on the occasion of the IV International Novel Prize "Rómulo Gallegos." He receives the Order "Félix Varela" of the First Grade granted by the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba.

In 1983 Editorial Letras Cubanas publishes Poetry (includes: On the Boulevard of Jesus del Monte, Through Strange Towns, Versions, The Dark Splendor, Sample of the World or Book of the Wonders of Bologna, and The Days of Your Life) and Selected Prose (includes: In the Dark Hands of Oblivion, Diversions, News of the Chimera, the narratives "A Warehouse Like Any Other" and "History of the Antiquarian," eleven essays and two lectures, "This Afternoon We Have Gathered" and "Through My Mirror," read for the first time at the Lyceum of Havana and at the National Library, respectively). Ediciones del Equilibrista, Mexico, publishes Twenty-Six Recent Poems, with a foreword by García Elío and Gonzalo García Barcha.

On June 1, 1984, his granddaughter María José, daughter of Lichi and María del Carmen Álvaro Díaz, is born. In 1985 he travels to Nicaragua in the company of his wife Bella.

In 1986 Eliseo Diego receives the National Literature Prize for the body of his work. In June he travels to Madrid. He gives a lecture at the Association of Spanish-Cuban Friendship. In October he participates in the First Encounter of Poets of the Latin American World held in Mexico. The poetry anthology Between Joy and Darkness is published, prepared by Diego García Elío, Tierra Firme Collection of the Economic Culture Fund. He inaugurates the Nordic Literature cycle with a lecture on Hans Christian Andersen. He gives a poetry reading at the Carrillo Gil Museum attended by, among others, Gabriel García Márquez. When interviewed by journalists about Eliseo, García Márquez said "he is one of the greatest poets of the Spanish language."

On October 15, 1987, Octavio Smith, poet, founder of the magazine Orígenes, lawyer, and great friend of Eliseo, dies in Havana. He travels to Nicaragua and Mexico.

In 1988 Dreaming Awake is published (Editorial Gente Nueva), a book of Eliseo's poems for children with illustrations by his son Rapi. He visits Peru to participate in a gathering in tribute to César Vallejo. He travels to Spain to attend the Poetry Encounter in Málaga, organized by the Cultural Center of the Generation of '27.

In 1989 the Book of Perhaps and Who Knows is published in Havana, which collects poetic prose and brief essays by Eliseo. He visits London, for the first and only time in his life. He travels to Spain. He gets to know the town of Infiesto, Asturias, where his father was born. He unveils a plaque dedicated to Heredia at Niagara Falls, Canada. He travels with his wife Bella. He travels to Mexico and Colombia (I Bogotá Book Fair). On December 22, he is awarded the 1988 Critics' Prize for the book Dreaming Awake.

Decade of the '90s
In 1990 Four of Ours is published in Mexico, by Siglo XXI Editores, the last poetry book by Eliseo (later, in November 1993, The Thirst for the Lost appears, a poetic anthology by Eliseo that includes unpublished poems). Four of Ours includes the Notebook of Bella Alone, published by Letras Cubanas in a separate edition with illustrations by Pablo Borges, on July 2, 1990, in tribute to Eliseo's seventieth birthday (See information about the book With a Gesture, poems by Eliseo and illustrations by Pablo Borges). (December 26) He wins the 1989 Critics' Prize for the Book of Perhaps and Who Knows.

In 1991 Julián Orbón, a great friend of the family, "the musician of Orígenes," dies in Miami. Ediciones del Equilibrista publishes Conversation with the Dead, a book of Eliseo's translations of American and English poets, with brief biographies of each author. It is also published by Ediciones Vigía, of Matanzas. He participates in a meeting on Fantastic Literature in El Escorial. He meets American writer Ray Bradbury with whom he maintained an affectionate correspondence. In November he travels to Guadalajara, Mexico, to participate in the week of "Authors in High Schools." He attends the VI Encounter of Poets of the Latin American World in Mexico City.

In 1992 Selected Poetry and Prose is published in Venezuela, in the Biblioteca Ayacucho. Eliseo receives, in Bogotá, an Honorary Doctorate (Resolution No. 037, April 29, 1992) from the University of the Valley in Cali, Colombia. He participates in the II International Bogotá Book Fair. Second trip to Asturias, with his daughter Josefina. They go to Segovia and Ávila. He gives a lecture at the Student Residence in Madrid. He meets Gastón Baquero, after a separation of more than thirty years. He gives a reading of his poems at the University of Oviedo.

In January 1993 he receives the "Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos" Distinction granted by the Federation of Asturian Associations of Cuba. On July 3, Eliseo Diego is awarded the International Prize for Latin American and Caribbean Literature "Juan Rulfo," granted by different Mexican economic and cultural institutions. Previously it had been received by: Nicanor Parra (Chile) and Juan José Arreola (Mexico). The Jury's decision was unanimous, among 195 candidates. In September he gives lectures on General Literature at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). On November 27, Eliseo receives the "Juan Rulfo" Prize during the celebration of the VII International Book Fair of Guadalajara, Mexico. The poetry anthology The Thirst for the Lost is presented (Ediciones del Equilibrista, Mexico; Ediciones Siruela, Spain). In December José Rodríguez Feo, founder of the magazine Orígenes, dies in Havana. The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) publishes the Book of Perhaps and Who Knows.

Death
On March 1, 1994, Eliseo Diego dies in Mexico, as a consequence of a myocardial infarction linked to acute pulmonary edema. On March 3, his remains are transferred to Cuba. Octavio Paz, Mexican writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, upon learning of the sad news, said: "only death was missing for Eliseo Diego to become a legend of Latin American Literature." On Friday, March 4, he is buried in the Colón Cemetery (on C Street between 10th and 12th), in the city of Havana, very close to the tomb of his friend José Lezama Lima.

Books by Eliseo Diego
Poetry
On the Boulevard of Jesus del Monte, Orígenes Editions, Havana, 1949.
Through Strange Towns, Orígenes Editions, Úcar García Workshops, S.A., Havana, 1958.
The Dark Splendor, Belic Editions, Havana, 1966.
Sample of the World or Book of the Wonders of Bologna, Cuban Book Institute, Havana, 1967.
Versions (poetic prose), Union Editions, Havana, 1970.
The Days of Your Life, Union Editions, Havana, 1977.
Through My Mirror, Union Editions, Havana, 1981.
Inventory of Wonders, Editorial Letras Cubanas, Havana, 1982.
Twenty-Six Recent Poems, Ediciones del Equilibrista, Mexico, 1986. (Note: The poems that make up this notebook are included in different books, except: "To My Daughter María Josefina," "To Ismael, My First Grandchild" and "To María José, My First Granddaughter.")
Dreaming Awake, Editorial Gente Nueva, Havana, 1988.
Four of Ours (poetry), Siglo XXI Editores, Mexico, 1990.
Conversation with the Dead (translations), Ediciones del Equilibrista, Mexico, 1991.
In Another Fragile Realm, Union Editions, Havana, 1999.
Here I Have Lived (with translations of his poems into English, by Eliseo Diego himself), Special Editions, Havana, 2000.
Poems in the Margin, Ediciones Ateneo, Havana, 2000.

Stories and Other Prose
In the Dark Hands of Oblivion, Clavileño Editions, Havana, 1942.
Diversions, Orígenes Editions, Havana, 1946.
News of the Chimera, Union Editions, Havana, 1975.
Book of Perhaps and Who Knows (brief essays and poetic prose), Editorial Letras Cubanas, Havana, 1989.
Main translations of his texts into other languages

Into German: In meinem Spiegel (anthology, selection by Hans-Otto Dill, Berlin, Aufbau-Verlag, 1984).
Into Hungarian: The Dark Splendor (anthology, Europa Editions, Budapest, 1980).
Into English: Poems (anthology, foreword and translation by Kathleen Weaver, The Lourdes Casal Library, Center for Cuban Studies, New York, 1982).
Into Italian: L'Oscuro Splendore (foreword and translation by Francesco Tentori, Accademia Editions, Milan, 1974).
Into Polish: Naming Things (anthology, Humanum Est Collection, Krakow, 1980).
Into Russian: Book of Wonders (anthology, foreword and translation by Pável Grushkó, Bellas Letras Editions, Moscow, 1983).
Into French: L'Obscure splendeur (presentation and translation by Jean-Marc Pelorson, Editorial Orphée La Différence, France, 1996).

Anthologies in which his texts appear
Ten Cuban Poets (anthology and notes by Cintio Vitier, Orígenes Editions, Havana, 1948).
Fifty Years of Cuban Poetry (organization, anthology, and notes by Cintio Vitier, Direction of Culture of the Ministry of Education, Fiftieth Anniversary Editions, Havana, 1952).
Spanish-American Poetry of the 900s (selection, introduction, and biographical-bibliographical profile by Francesco Tentori, Guanda Editions, Italy, 1957).
Writers of Cuba (anthology, Les Lettres Nouvelles, Special Issue, France, 1968).
With Cuba (anthology, selection by Nathaniel Tarn, Cape Goliard Press London, Great Britain, 1969).
From the Green Antilles (anthology, selection and introduction by Barbara Howes, Panther Books Limited, Great Britain, 1971).
Spanish-American Poets of the 900s (selection and introduction by Francesco Tentori, Edizioni Rai Radiotelevisione Italiana, Italy, 1971).
The Eye of the Heart (anthology of Latin American stories, selection and introduction by Barbara Howes, The Bobbs-Merrill Co. Inc. Indianapolis-New York, United States, 1973).
Sud, Quarterly Review, 22/23 (introduction by Benito Pelegrin, bilingual edition, literary magazine, Editions RIJOIS, 1977).
An Anthology of Cuban Poetry (selection and presentation by Diego García Elío, Oasis Editions, Mexico, 1984).
Anthology of Spanish-American Poetry (selection, foreword, and notes by Juan Gustavo Cobo Borda, Economic Culture Fund Editions, Tierra Firme Collection, Mexico, 1985).
Between Joy and Darkness. Poetry Anthology 1949-1985 (selection and presentation by Diego García Elío, Economic Culture Fund Editions, Tierra Firme Collection, Mexico).
The Hand of the Ant. The World's Shortest Stories and from Hispanic Literatures (foreword and selection by Antonio Fernández Ferrer. Fugaz/Ediciones, Madrid, 1990).
The Thirst for the Lost (anthology by Antonio Fernández Ferrer. Siruela Editions, Spain, 1993; Ediciones del Equilibrista, Mexico, 1993).
Anthology of the Cuban Story (compilation by Basilia Papastamatíu, Antarctic Editorial, Page 12 Library, Buenos Aires, 1995).
Brief Latin American Stories (anthology and foreword by Alejandra Torres. Latin American Co-edition, edition coordinated by AÍQUE Grupo Editor S.A., Argentina, 1998).

Theses, compilations, essays about the work of Eliseo Diego
About Eliseo Diego (selection, preliminary words, chronology, and bibliography by Enrique Saínz), Editorial Letras Cubanas, Havana, 1991. (Includes: "Another Page on the Diversions of Eliseo Diego," by J.L. Lima; "Diversions of Eliseo Diego and On the Boulevard of Jesus del Monte," by Cintio Vitier; "Eliseo Diego," by R. Fernández Retamar; "The Poetry of Memory," by Cintio Vitier; "The Treasures of Transience," by Helio Orovio; "Eliseo Diego Finds His Olympus," by Mario Benedetti; "That Brief Sunday of Form," by Fina García Marruz; "Naming as One Sees," by Ramón Xirau; "Foreword and Addenda to the Foreword of Naming Things," by Francisco de Oraá; "An Approach to the Poetry of Eliseo Diego," by Raúl Hernández Novás; "The Young Light of Eliseo Diego," by José Prats Sariol; "An Invitation to Be Attentive," by Ida Vitale; "The Poetry of Eliseo Diego," by Efraín Barradas; "Time and Engraving in the Poetry of Eliseo Diego and Prose of Eliseo Diego," by Aramís Quintero; "In an Innocent Touch of Light (for a Poetics of Eliseo Diego)," by Alain Sicard; "With the Good Will of Time (Approach to the Time of Eliseo Diego)," by Frank Padrón Nodarse; "Eliseo Diego Between Penumbra and Light," by Alberto Lauro; "Small Study of a Piece of the Universe," by Yoel Mesa Falcón; "The Dark Splendor of the Boulevard," by Roberto Méndez; "On the Boulevard of Jesus del Monte: Notes for an Interpretation," by Enrique Saínz; "Through My Mirror," by Eliseo Diego.)
Naming Things (on the poetics of Eliseo Diego). Ivette Fuentes de la Paz, Ediciones Extramuros, Havana, 1993.
Looking Out at the World of Eliseo Diego (interview and compilation of opinions and texts about Eliseo Diego, by Mauricio Abréu. Ediciones Urbe-Artex, Havana, 1993).
The Poetic Universe of Eliseo Diego (thesis by Salvador Bella Abellan, with foreword by Alain Sicard. Editions L'Harmattan, France, 1999).