Guillermo Jiménez Soler

Outstanding concurrent academic, writer and revolutionary. Member of the Academy of History of Cuba.

Of humble origins, his mother had to work hard so that he could study and graduate in Law and History from the University of Havana. He pursued incomplete studies at the Manuel Márquez Sterling School of Journalism.

He participated in the struggle against Batista within the FEU, was sub-director of the newspaper Alma Máter, was detained several times and in 1956 was seriously wounded in an encounter with the police.

When the Revolutionary Directorate was founded, he was Second in the Department of Propaganda, member of its National Executive from April 1957 until its integration with the ORI, Delegate in Cuba of the National Executive of the Revolutionary Directorate from May to the end of 1957, from which responsibility he reorganized and expanded the organization, promoted strikes, participated in armed actions and other insurrectional actions and organized and founded the Guerrilla Front of the Escambray until its opening in October 1957.

In February 1958 he landed on the north coast of Camagüey province in the expedition organized by the Revolutionary Directorate for the return to Cuba of its National Executive and the reinforcement of the Guerrilla Front of the Escambray.

After 1959 he was Commander of the Rebel Army, of MINFAR and MININT, Director of the newspaper "Combate", held executive positions in MINREX, MININT, BNC, managed a furniture factory in the Furniture and Containers Company and another in the Soap and Perfumery Company for more than 10 years, founder of the PCC, decorated with various orders, medals, diplomas and recognitions from institutions.

Since 1990 he has been retired, has been a commentator on international politics and economics for the weekly Granma Internacional, columnist for Revista Opina and has sporadically published in Revista Bimestre Cubana, Catauro, Revolución y Cultura and other Cuban publications.

Two publications constitute works of essential consultation for the information they contain, for the rigorous method employed, for the wealth of documentary sources processed during years of dedicated work and for the ethics contained in their analyses, they are:

Las empresas de Cuba 1958, published by Ediciones Universal, Miami, 2000, and with three reprints (new version by Merci Ediciones, Havana, 2002, and by Editorial de Ciencias Sociales, Havana in 2005 and 2009).

Los propietarios de Cuba 1958, Critics' Prize in 2007, published in December 2006 by Editorial de Ciencias Sociales and reprinted twice (June 2007 and in 2008).

He left three works incomplete:
History of Food in Cuba
Capitalism in Cuba
Socioeconomic Chronology of Cuba 1492-1958

He was a commentator on international politics and economics for the weekly Granma Internacional and columnist for Revista Opina, furthermore, his works can be found in publications such as Revista Bimestre Cubana, Catauro and Revolución y Cultura.

Awards
Scientific-Technical Critics' Prize for his work Los propietarios de Cuba 1958.