After a prolific career in the universe of Cuban letters, the writer, journalist, editor and critic Eduardo Heras León breathed his last, at the age of 82.
According to the Cuban Book Institute, the intellectual died in the early hours of Thursday morning in Havana, and conveyed its condolences to family and friends.
Likewise, the press offered throughout the day details of the tribute paid to him by writers and artists in the institutions attached to the island’s Ministry of Culture.
Heras León, known among his colleagues as “El Chino Heras”, “developed an outstanding work as a ballet critic, to later establish himself as one of the most important narrative voices of his generation,” the text reviewed.
Having graduated from the teachers school “Escuela Normal de Maestros “in Havana, the writer maintained a close relationship with the July 26 Movement (a Cuban political and military organization created in 1953 to combat the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista).
After the triumph of the Revolution, he participated in the fight against the invasion of Playa Girón, in April 1961, which went down in history as the first defeat of imperialism in America and which marked the birth of the volume of stories La Guerra tuvo seis nombres, winner of the David Award, from the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba in 1968.
Graduated from Journalism at the University of Havana, he was part of the team of founding professionals of the Letras Cubanas Publising House, where he was head of Narrative Writing and served as deputy director of Literature of the Cuban Book Institute.
Among the responsibilities assumed throughout his career, stands out his undertaking as director of the Editorial Fund of Casa de las Américas, a task he combined with his extensive literary production, which registers titles such as Los pasos en la hierba, Acero, A hierro limpio, Cuestión de principios and Cuentos Completos.
He also was, “a tireless promoter of Cuban short stories, a passion that led him to publish various collections of the genre,” says the document, which highlights the impact of his compilation of texts, Los desafíos de la ficción, a reference material for writers, journalists and researchers.
A highlight within his life career is the creation of the University for All project, which was founded by the historic leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, as well as that of the of the Onelio Jorge Cardoso Literary Training Center, an institution he directed for more than 20 years. Awarded with the Distinction for National Culture, Heras León also obtained the Félix Elmuza Order, the Alejo Carpentier Medal, the Replica of the Machete of Generalísimo Máximo Gómez, the Maestro de Juventudes Award, the National Edition Awards (2001) and Literature ( 2014) and other recognitions.
