Roberto Méndez is the new director of the Cuban Academy of Language

February 21, 2022

Since last Friday, the Cuban Academy of Language has had a new board of directors, headed by poet, narrator and essayist Roberto Méndez Martínez, committed to continuing its work of attention, analysis and promotion of one of the pillars of national identity.

Along with Méndez, director of the institution, the critic and essayist Jorge Fornet was elected as subdirector; literary researcher Cira Romero, secretary; linguist Marlén Domínguez, librarian; and playwright and narrator Reinaldo Montero, treasurer.

A corresponding member of the ACL since 2006 and a full member since 2009, the Camagüeyan Roberto Méndez (1958), doctor in Sciences on Art from the University of the Arts, is backed by a prolific trajectory in favor of Cuban culture and letters.

Author of more than thirty books, he obtained the Alejo Carpentier Prize twice, in essay and novel, and the Nicolás Guillén Prize in poetry. He has also been recognized in international literary competitions and for the recognition of the imprint of important creators such as San Juan de la Cruz, Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, José Lezama Lima, Cintio Vitier, Dulce María Loynaz and Roberto Fernández Retamar. His historical and critical approaches to the world of ballet and opera are also highly esteemed.