Outstanding Poet and Writer Georgina Herrera Dies in Cuba from COVID-19

December 15, 2021

The guild of intellectuals and poets in Cuba mourns the physical passing of poet and writer Georgina Herrera, one of the most genuine voices in twentieth-century lyric poetry, who died this Monday at the age of 85.

Born in Matanzas, in the town of Jovellanos, on April 23, 1936, in a family environment made up mostly of descendants of enslaved people, the author drew from that primordial source composed of their songs, poetry and ancestral culture.

Considered the Eternal Cimarrona of Cuban letters, Herrera was part of the legendary literary group El Puente, alongside recognized figures from the early 1960s following the triumph of the Revolution, and became linked to the radio universe to develop her discourse focused on anti-racist thought.

Her literary legacy also stood out for the feminist emphasis and racial consciousness that marked her intimate relationship with Africa and the vital heritage in Cuba, where she also worked as a screenwriter for radio programs, television programs and film projects.

In 1970 she deserved the poetry prize from the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba, and in that same decade she was elected president of the Writers' Section of the Association of Cinema, Radio and Television.

Translated into several languages, her bibliography includes titles such as Gentes y cosas (Ediciones Unión, 1974), Granos de sol y luna (Ediciones Unión, 1978), Gatos y liebres (Ediciones Unión, 1978), Grande es el tiempo (Ediciones Unión, 1989), Gustadas sensaciones (Ediciones Unión, 1996) and Gritos (Colección Papeles del Minotauro, Miami, 2004).

During her lifetime, Herrera was a jury member for prestigious competitions, including the Casa de Las Américas prize and the National Literature prize, and received numerous recognitions such as the Alejo Carpentier and Raúl Gómez García medals as well as the Distinction for National Culture.