Sidroc Ramos Palacios

He was born in the city of Sancti Spíritus, Cuba. He was an activist of the Partido Socialista Popular, director of the School of Instruction of this communist organization and editor of the newspaper Noticias de Hoy. In 1958 he joined the armed struggle, forming part of Column 8 of Comandante Che Guevara in the Escambray. For his merits he ended the campaign with the rank of captain of the Rebel Army.

With the triumph of the Revolution he was a professor of officers in the Revolutionary Armed Forces and worked in its Department of Revolutionary Instruction (1959-1962).

He participated in the Punta del Este conference (Uruguay, 1961).

Director of the National Library from 1967 to 1973, this was a position he greatly appreciated for his deep interest in the profession of librarian. During these years the editorial movement of the National Library was very significant, linked to library science, bibliography, history and literary criticism related to the work of the Apostle José Martí.

Among the main contributions made during this period are that on January 28, 1968 he inaugurated the Martí Room and published its first Yearbook. A year later Cintio Vitier and Fina García Marruz published "Temas Martianos".

Also relations with socialist countries increased, as well as the participation of librarians in international conferences. Cultural activities multiplied: exhibitions, lectures, courses, and others recognized the National Library as a leading cultural center. National Meetings of Public Libraries took place, events of great professional rigor in which the methodological work of the National Library as rector of the National System of Public Libraries was clarified and updated.

Other important contributions were the purchase of the library of Don Fernando Ortiz, the long-standing debt and struggle for the climate control of bibliographic materials and the strengthening of the School of Library Technicians.

Although he respected the refounding of the National Library undertaken by Dr. María Teresa Freyre de Andrade, in his hands that refounding achieved greater dimension. He recognized having found in her the extraordinary and silent dedication that characterizes librarians, a dedication that he called bibliographic passion. And with it, to a large extent, the material shortages that were always suffered were addressed.

Unfortunately he resigned from his position by supporting Cintio Vitier and Fina García Marruz who in the Martí Room exercised a true priesthood in favor of the study and promotion of the life and work of José Martí. The cultural policy of those years remembered as the gray quinquennium was incompatible with the Martian ethics of Sidroc Ramos. History proved him right.

Subsequently he served as an official of the Ministry of Foreign Relations where he held several positions.

He practiced journalism at Última Hora, Cuba Socialista, Verde Olivo, Bohemia, Islas, Unión and Signos.

In parallel he developed literary creation. Among his works are the poetry collections:
"Cuadragésimo año", Ediciones Unión, 1970
"Viaje de ida y vuelta", Ediciones Unión, 1977
"Sigas pasando", Editorial Letras Cubanas, 1983

When assessing his literary work, critic Virgilio López Lemus has said:
"He is a poet who has maintained the fire of lyric vocation throughout his life. (... ) Sidroc's poetry establishes a sustained relationship with ethics, which manifests itself in details of circumstances, without being populated by metaphysical anxieties".

Positions Held
Chief of the international section of the newspaper Noticias de Hoy (1951-1953)
Director of the School of Political Instruction of the Partido Socialista Popular (1955-1958)
Director of the Camilo Cienfuegos School City (1962-1965)
Rector of the Central University of Las Villas (1965-1967)
Director of the José Martí National Library (1967-1973)
Official of the Ministry of Foreign Relations
Director for the Socialist Countries of Europe
Ambassador to the then Socialist Republic of Czechoslovakia

He died on June 16, 2012 in La Habana, at the age of 85. His body was cremated and on the morning of Tuesday, June 19, 2012 he received deserved honors at the Pantheon of Veterans, at the Colón Cemetery.