Emerio Medina Peña

Outstanding Cuban writer. He has worked in short stories and novels, but his main recognition has been as an author of short stories. In this latter genre he has been distinguished with the Prize from the Julio Cortázar Iberoamerican Short Story Contest in 2009 and the Casa de Las Américas Prize in 2010.

He was born in Mayarí, son of Emerio Medina Ramírez, a peasant and industrial worker, and Virginia Peña Díaz, a homemaker. He is from the rural area of Valle 2 belonging to the Chavaleta Popular Council.

From an early age he showed interest in books; diverse readings from Cuban and universal authors created in him a special relationship with literature. He completed his primary studies at the Eraides de la Cruz Sánchez Primary School, in the Franco area. At age 12, due to the satisfactory results obtained in primary school, he went to study at the José Martí Vocational School in the city of Holguín; he later returned to Mayarí to attend pre-university studies at the IPU Carlos Manuel de Céspedes.

He studied Mechanical Engineering in Uzbekistan, Soviet Union. The five years he spent in that Central Asian country allowed him to acquire a new culture, rich in nuances and readings. This period was decisive in his formation as a dedicated reader.

He graduated in 1990 as a Mechanical Engineer, returned to Cuba and began working at the Cajimaya Agricultural Implements Factory, then at the Felton Thermoelectric Plant, from there he moved through several work centers such as the Mayarí Electric Company, ECOA # 40 in Havana, IPUEC "Valle 2", ECRIN Nicaro.

Since 2005 he has worked in the Cultural Sector as a cultural promoter, his connection with this sector enabled him to consolidate himself as a writer in addition to connecting with the artistic and literary vanguard of the territory (UNEAC) in important projects for the cultural development of Mayarí.

Career as a writer

He ventured into narrative technique, fundamentally in the short story genre. He addresses various themes from contemporary Cuban reality: the life of the simplest Cuban, love, betrayals, hopes, heartbreak of human beings. He uses reality as support to construct fantastic stories, but he also writes existential stories that address conflicts that plague modern man.

About the craft of writing, he confesses that it requires total commitment, it does not admit or forgive deviations, it demands working hard and full-time, a constant search and improvement; writing is very difficult especially in a completely aggressive environment like the countryside, although this does not prevent self-realization and provides a satisfaction that cannot be compared to anything. In this regard, he notes:

"Writing for adults is relatively easy, it is only necessary to be carried along by the story and achieve adequate language. Writing for children is more complex, it demands greater respect for established laws, therefore it is more difficult. For a fiction writer like me, the need to separate these two branches of literature forces greater searching. Since I write fantasies, I have to detach myself from reality to achieve any result. But I can move with ease in these two fields: one serves as a reference for the other, so that the two forms of narrating never oppose each other, but rather serve me mutually as help and support."

His creative space is the rustic terrace of his house, dedicating four to five hours two or three times a week to work. On one occasion he noted:

"I see today in Cuban literature a growing need to return to fable. Texts of social chronicle are already going out of style. The mark of immediacy in writing has led Cuban narrative to address reality in a too objective way, and I believe that in narrative reality should be addressed with the necessary estrangement so that a common story becomes fable. Design worlds, recreate them, establish their own laws that oblige the reader to stop and reflect on their own world: that should be the way."

Since 2003 he is a member of the municipal literary workshop José María Heredia and is the most awarded writer among Mayarí writers.

His work transcends local limits. Several publishers in the country have published his books: In 2005 his first book was published: Plano secundario, by Ediciones Holguín. It is composed of nine stories where the theme of love prevails in addition to stories that address multiple conflicts that plague modern man such as misunderstanding, loneliness, betrayals, hopes; they are microlocalized stories that can be adapted to any place where human beings exist. Stories such as Canción de Mayelín, El martillo y la Hoz and La llamada, are part of the volume.

His second published book was Las formas de la Sangre (Editorial el Mar y la Montaña, Guantánamo, 2007). It includes eleven stories that reflect varied conflicts that overwhelm modern man, specifically today's Cuban: passion, eroticism, hopelessness, routine, revenge and even death are themes that are interwoven suggestively to show well-crafted stories where the word becomes substantial history. Among the most popular stories are La búsqueda, La novia, and La frazada. The story La certeza offers the reader the precise use of language to narrate the way in which man went about identifying with himself:

In 2009, for the benefit of children's literature, Ediciones Holguín publishes Sarubí, el preferido de la luna, Prize of the City. The author narrates the story of a güije that ventures into the purest geography to prevent the wicked from stealing the moon.

In 2009 Editorial Oriente publishes El puente y el templo. This book is composed of nine stories full of vital conflicts that torment human beings. Cruelty, beauty, passion, are themes addressed by this author through careful and flexible prose. The story that bears the same name demonstrates the solidity achieved by this writer:

He also publishes that same year the story Los días del juego de Emerio Medina y otros relatos, by Editorial Letras Cubanas, Havana, Julio Cortázar Iberoamerican Short Story Prize. This award is, in addition, the most important International Prize received by a writer from Holguín. In this story the author successfully accomplishes a kind of return journey to the classic virtues of fable, the art of storytelling, and at the same time emulsifies with great vigor the sentimental experience of the subject in a distant and yet close world.

Emerio Medina Peña has participated in various events and contests as a judge: in the Provincial Literary Contest León de León, Territorial Literary Contest Lengua de pájaro, in the National Contest Prize of the City of Holguín, National Contest Celestino de Cuentos. He has participated three times in the most important cultural event held in Cuba: The International Book Fair of Havana. As part of the Fair's tour in various provinces he has presented his books: El puente y el templo, Sarubí, el preferido de la luna, and Los días del juego y otros relatos.

In 2011 he was awarded the Casa de las Américas Prize for Short Stories for the work La bota sobre el toro muerto. The jury, in explaining its decision, argued:

"The book constitutes a set of autonomous stories, written with precise and effective prose, that addresses themes ranging from contained dramaticism to a gruesomeness that never overflows the aesthetic of restraint and precision that animates the narrator's point of view. Furthermore, it constitutes a great example of what the mastery of language and popular speech can achieve when approached with boldness in themes that, far from being conventional, reveal marginalized worlds within the framework of a society undergoing full political and cultural change"[1]

Specialized criticism has received with approval the prizes of the Mayarí creator. This is reflected in several articles and interviews about his work published in magazines and in the national press:

Revista Ámbito (Holguín), 2005
Revista La luz (Holguín), 2007
Revista El mar y la montaña, 2007
Revista literaria y cultural Sic (Santiago de Cuba) 2009.
Revista literaria y cultural cubana La Jiribilla, 2009
Revista literaria y cultural La letra del escriba, 2009.
Revista hispanoamericana de cultura, Otro Lunes, 2009.
Revista Matanzas, 2009
Periódico Ahora, August 2009.
Periódico Granma, August 2009.
Periódico Juventud Rebelde, September 2009.
Periódico Granma, February 2010.

Personal Projects

In 2008 the Ecos del rio project was born. The writer confesses that it arose from a need to create a space where writers or aspiring writers would receive an injection of the most advanced literary currents. This was not possible to achieve from the Municipal Literary Workshop, it was a personal need, but then he discovered that it worked for many people. The objective of the project is to enable writers to access modern points of view, critical information, novel ways of approaching literary creation and a certain renewal that is happening outside the most formal currents. The project sponsors an Annual Provincial Narrative Contest, which has been held in two editions: 2008 and 2009.

La Peña de Emerio is a space that was created with the objective of promoting contemporary Cuban literature. His work has been followed here, all publications found in magazines, newspapers and his books have been promoted. In addition, as a literary novelty, a narrator from another locality is always invited. The Peña has been visited by narrators Rafael Inza, Fidel Fidalgo, Alexander George, Víctor Hugo Pérez Gallo, Félix Cabrera, and poets Israel Domínguez, Rafael Vilches, Kiuder Yero, Niurka Valdés and others.

Awards and Distinctions

Prize in the Provincial Literature Contest León de León, with the story Segunda cama abajo, Mayarí, 2003.
Prize in the Territorial Literary Contest Lengua de pájaro with the story La fuga, Mayarí, 2003.
Prize in the Provincial Literature Contest León de León, with the story La mala suerte, Mayarí, 2004.
Prize in the Territorial Literary Contest Lengua de pájaro, with the story La Certeza, Mayarí 2004.
Prize in the Provincial Meeting of Literary Workshops, with the story El nombre, Holguín, 2004.
Prize in the Literary Contest El Narrador Calixteño with the story Nueva York, el mangle y el filo del hacha, Calixto García, 2004.
Prize of the City with the book Rendez-vous nocturno para espacios abiertos, Holguín, 2006.
Prize for Best First Work with the book Plano secundario, Santiago de Cuba 2006.
Regino Boti Prize with the book Las formas de la sangre, Guantánamo, 2006.
Prize from the National Short Story Contest Tristán de Jesús Medina, with the story La búsqueda, Bayamo 2006.
Mention in the Prize of the City with the children's novel Viaje a la orilla de un cuento, Holguín, 2007.
Finalist in the National Short Story Contest of the Gaceta de Cuba with the story La perla, Havana, 2007.
Prize of the City with the children's novel Viaje a la orilla de un cuento, Holguín, 2008.
Prize from the Julio Cortázar Iberoamerican Short Story Contest with the story Los días del juego, Cuba, 2009.
Luis Felipe Rodríguez Prize from UNEAC in short stories, with the book Café bajo sombrillas junto al Sena
Casa de Las Américas Prize in short stories, for the work La bota sobre el toro muerto, Cuba, 2010[2].