Pablo Armando Fernández, National Prize for Literature, Died at 91 Years Old from COVID

November 4, 2021

The extraordinary Cuban writer Pablo Armando Fernández died on the night of November 3rd, a man who not only excelled through his literary work in poetry and the novel, but also through his patriotic and revolutionary attitude. After several days fighting against COVID, the poet passed away at 91 years old.

The Cuban author was a judge for several literary contests, such as the Casa de las Américas Poetry Prize (1966) and Caribbean Literature in English Language (1982). In 1992 he was part of the jury for the Cervantes Prize, well known in Hispanic letters. He wrote about 20 books of poetry, three novels, a volume of short stories, and one of essays. His vast work has been translated into different languages. In 1996, for his literary trajectory, the Ministry of Culture of Cuba awarded him the National Prize for Literature.

Like the children in one of his most celebrated novels, Pablo Armando Fernández says goodbye. He leaves one of the most solid bodies of work in twentieth-century Cuban narrative. And he also bequeaths an extraordinary lyrical corpus: he was a poet of profundity, his were deeply inspired recreations of his context and his inner world.

He is the author of such important works as Los niños se despiden, Casa de las Américas Prize 1968; Golpe de dados, or the firstborn Salterio y lamentaciones, among many others of great literary merit and reader reception.

Born on March 2, 1930 in the Delicias sugar mill, now Las Tunas province, Pablo Armando left works such as Los niños se despiden, Casa de las Américas award 1968; Golpe de dados, Toda la poesía, and Salterio y lamentación.

He completed primary education in his native town and later moved to the United States, where he studied at Washington Irving High School in New York until 1947, and took some courses at Columbia University in New York. He resided in that country between 1943 and 1959.

With the triumph of the Revolution, he returned to Cuba. He was subdirector of Lunes de Revolución (1959-1961), editorial secretary of Casa de las Américas magazine (1961-1962), cultural advisor at the Cuban embassy in Great Britain (1962-1965), head of publications of the National Commission of Cuba at UNESCO (1966-1971), member of the Editorial Board of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba (1971-1987), secretary of the Cuban center of the International PEN Club, director of the Magazine Unión of the Union of Cuban Writers and Artists (1987-1994) and director of the Editorial Fund of Casa de las Américas (2001-2005).

He gave lectures at renowned universities in Europe, North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean. He participated in events such as the First Congress of Cuban Writers and Artists in Havana (1961), First International Congress of Writers in Lahti, Finland (1963), Congress of the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language in Medellín, Colombia (2007), Poetry Biennial in Belgium (1963), Latin American Writers Meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina (1990), Member of the Jury of the Cervantes Prize, Madrid, Spain (1992), II Meeting of Latin American Poets in Bogotá, Colombia (1993), Writers Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden (1994), International Festival of Poets, Jerusalem, Israel (2004), and Commemoration of the Centenary of Pablo Neruda, Quito, Ambato, Cuenca, Guayaquil, Ecuador (2004).

He was a judge for the Casa de las Américas Prize in the poetry category (1966) and (1990), in the English-language Caribbean literature category (1982), of literature written by Latin American writers (1997). Also, judge of the Latin American Film Festival (1987) and of the Miguel de Cervantes Prize, Madrid, (1992).

Distinctions

National:

Distinction for National Culture, Raúl Gómez García Medal, Alejo Carpentier Medal, Félix Varela Order, Nicolás Guillén Medal, Ernest Hemingway Medal, Diploma of Honorary Member of the Nicolás Guillén Foundation, Plaque Distinguished Son of the City of Matanzas, Distinction of the City of Santa Clara, Distinction Illustrious Son of the City of Puerto Padre, Distinction Illustrious Son of the City of Las Tunas, Diploma of Founder of UNEAC, Replica of the Shield of Camagüey, Diploma of Honor of the Canary Association of Cuba, Diploma from the National Theatre of Cuba for lifetime achievement, Certificate from the Antonio Núñez Jiménez Foundation, Certificate from the Fernando Ortiz Foundation, Diploma of Founding Member of Casa de las Américas, Replica of the Machete of Generalissimo Máximo Gómez, José María Heredia Medal, Axe of the City of Holguín, Replica of the Machete of Major General Serafín Sánchez, Sancti Spíritus, Medal from the Cucalambeana and Paco Cabrera Event, City of Las Tunas.

International:

Distinction from the Provincial Council of Albacete, Spain, Medal V Centenary of the Incorporation of Málaga to the Crown of Castile, Spain, Diploma from Complutense University of Almería, Spain, Diploma from University of Castilla La Mancha in Ciudad Real, Spain, Recognition Plaque from University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain, Diploma from the Center for Cuban Studies in New York, USA, Recognition from the City of Venice, Italy, Medal from the Municipality of S. Giuliano Terme, Pisa, Italy, Reproduction of the Key from the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, Genoa, Italy, Recognition Plaque from the University of Granada, Knight of the Hesperides Medal, Recognition from the Department of Culture of the Dominican Republic, Recognition from the State of Michoacán, Mexico, Diploma as Guest of Honor from the Municipality of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia, Yanus Emre Prize and Certification of Honorary Member of the Istanbul PEN Club, Turkey, Diploma of Recognition from the University of Florence, Italy, Diploma of Recognition from the Government of the State of Guanajuato and the Cervantine Foundation, Mexico, Order of Merit of the Italian Republic with the rank of "Knight," Certificate for his contribution to Latin American poetry and literature in San Felipe, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

In 1996 he obtained the National Prize for Literature. He is a full member of the Cuban Academy of the Language and a corresponding member of the Royal Academy of the Language.

Publications:

Poetry:

Salterio y Lamentación (Havana, 1953); Nuevos Poemas (New York, 1956); Toda la poesía (Havana, 1961); Toda la poesía (second edition, Havana, 1962); Himnos (Havana, 1962); Libro de los Héroes (Havana, 1964); Un sitio permanente (Madrid,1970); Suite para Maruja (Havana, 1978); Aprendiendo a morir (Barcelona, 1983); Campo de Amor y de Batalla (Havana, 1984); El sueño, la razón (Havana, 1988); Ronda de encantamiento (Rome, Venice, 1990); Nocturno en San Cugat (New Delhi, India, 1995); Learning to die (Havana, 1995); Libro de la vida (Seville, 1997); Acque errante (Sardinia, Italy, 1998); De piedras y palabras (Havana, 1999); El pequeño cuaderno de Manila Hartman (Santiago de Cuba, 2000); Hoy la hoguera (Las Tunas, 2001); Reinos de la aurora (Valladolid, 2001); Parábolas / Parables (Ontario, Canada, 2001); Escalas de ascenso (Havana, 2002); Lo sé de cierto porque lo tengo visto (Puerto Rico, 2002); Ser polvo enamorado (Dominican Republic, 2002); En tiempos de siega (Dominican Republic, 2002); Con címbalos de júbilo (Medellín, Colombia, 2003); De planeta ardiente (Matanzas, 2003); Libro de los héroes y Las Armas son de hierro (Madrid, 2003); Salterio y Lamentación (commemorative edition of the fiftieth anniversary of its publication, Dominican Republic, 2003); Esta llama de amor viva (Las Tunas, 2005); Tras la tierra sin mal (Havana, 2006); Esencias en espiral (Madrid, 2006);

Novels:

Los niños se despiden (Havana, (1968); El vientre del pez (Havana, 1989), Otro golpe de dados (Havana, 1993)

Short Stories:

El talismán y otras evocaciones (Havana, 1994)

Essays:

De memorias y anhelos (Havana, 1998)

In 1958 he premiered in New York, at the Hall of the July 26 Movement, his dramatic poem Las armas son de hierro.
In the Casa de las Américas contests he won an honorable mention in poetry for Libro de los héroes (1963) and a novel prize for Los niños se despiden (1968).
In 1969 he obtained the honorable mention for the Adonais Prize with his book Un sitio permanente. Prize from the Critics with Campo de amor y de batalla (1985) and El talismán y otras evocaciones (1995).

Pedro Pablo Fernández is one of the greats of Cuban literature of all time. His essential legacy, black on white, belongs to national culture and to the men and women whom he honored with his work and who are, as he understood very well, the fundamental matter of books and dreams.