Pedro de la Hoz González

Pedro de la Hoz is a journalist and art critic, holder of the National Culture Distinction and founder of the supplement Huella. He was the first director of the magazine Artecubano and is a member of the Union of Journalists of Cuba and the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba, of which he is Vice President. He received the National Journalism Prize José Martí for his lifetime work in 2017.

Considered one of the most prestigious contemporary Cuban journalists, he has specialized in the promotion and criticism of island music. He is the author of several books that document the most recent developments of the nation.

He completed elementary-level music studies in his hometown. After finishing secondary school, he moved to Havana to study at the University of Havana, from which he graduated in 1976 with a degree in Journalism.

Linked for more than three decades to various print media outlets, he has practiced cultural journalism and music criticism in the newspapers 5 de Septiembre (Cienfuegos), Vanguardia (Villa Clara) and Granma, where he currently serves as head of the cultural section. He founded the cultural supplement Huella in Villa Clara and was the first director of the magazine Artecubano, from the National Council of Plastic Arts.

Publications
He is the author of the monograph África en la Revolución Cubana (Editorial Letras Cubanas, 2004), the interview book Como el primer día (Editorial Letras Cubanas, 2009) and the essay Durban, diez años después (Editorial Letras Cubanas, 2011).

He has also published, with Alberto Núñez Betancourt, the testimony Misioneros del Alba (Casa Editora Abril, 2010) and, as co-author with Luis Báez, the essay Evo, espuma de plata (Editorial Plaza, 2008); the testimonies Todos somos Evo (Editorial Plaza, 2009), Caravana de la Libertad (Casa Editora Abril, 2009), Todos somos pueblo (Editorial Plaza, 2010), and the monograph Hotel Nacional de Cuba, revelaciones de una leyenda (Editorial Capitán San Luis, 2010). He has collaborated with the most important Cuban journalistic publications and with magazines and newspapers from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Chile, Colombia, Italy and Brazil.

Recognition
Among other recognitions, he has received the National Prize for Cultural Journalism José Antonio Fernández de Castro (1999), the National Journalism Prize José Martí (2017) and the Written Press Prize Jorge Enrique Mendoza (2009), both awarded for his lifetime work.

As a writer, he has been invited to the International Book Fairs of Santo Domingo, Caracas, La Paz and Bogotá and, as part of the Cuban Chapter of the Network In Defense of Humanity, he has participated in forums held in Rome, Caracas, Salvador de Bahía and Sao Paulo. He holds the National Culture Distinction (1996). He is a member of the Union of Journalists of Cuba and the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba.