Antonio Benitez-Rojo
Encyclopedia
Antonio Benítez-Rojo was a Cuba
n novelist, essayist and short-story writer. He was widely regarded as the most significant Cuban author of his generation. His work has been translated into nine languages and collected in more than 50 anthologies.
Born in Havana
, he lived in Cuba with his mother and stepfather from the age of seven. In the mid-1950s, backed by United Nations
grants, Benítez-Rojo studied statistics at the United States Department of Labor and Commerce, and later studied in Mexico
. Turning down offers to work in Chile
or Geneva
, he returned to Cuba in 1958 and became head of the Statistics Bureau at Cuba's Labor Ministry.
Benítez-Rojo began working at the Ministry of Culture in 1965 and won the Premio Casa de las Américas
for the short story collection Tute de reyes in 1967. The following year, he won a writers' union prize of a trip to a socialist country; however, the government did not permit him to leave Cuba.
By 1975, Benítez-Rojo had been made head of Casa de las Américas
, the publishing house run by the Cuban government. Sea of Lentils, the English translation of his novel El mar de las lentejas, was selected by The New York Times
as one of the Notable Books of 1992. In 1980, he was given permission to attend a conference at the Sorbonne
in Paris
. He traveled from Paris to Berlin
, obtained a US tourist visa, and came to the United States, where he became a professor of Spanish at Amherst
. The Archives and Special Collections at Amherst College holds a collection of his papers.
One of his most influential publications, La Isla que se Repite, was published in 1998 by Editorial Casiopea in Barcelona. He died in 2005.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n novelist, essayist and short-story writer. He was widely regarded as the most significant Cuban author of his generation. His work has been translated into nine languages and collected in more than 50 anthologies.
Born in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, he lived in Cuba with his mother and stepfather from the age of seven. In the mid-1950s, backed by United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
grants, Benítez-Rojo studied statistics at the United States Department of Labor and Commerce, and later studied in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Turning down offers to work in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
or Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, he returned to Cuba in 1958 and became head of the Statistics Bureau at Cuba's Labor Ministry.
Benítez-Rojo began working at the Ministry of Culture in 1965 and won the Premio Casa de las Américas
Casa de las Américas Prize
The Casa de las Américas Prize is a Cuban cultural award given by the Casa de las Américas, an organization founded in April 1959. It is one of Latin America’s oldest and most prestigious literary awards....
for the short story collection Tute de reyes in 1967. The following year, he won a writers' union prize of a trip to a socialist country; however, the government did not permit him to leave Cuba.
By 1975, Benítez-Rojo had been made head of Casa de las Américas
Casa de las Américas
Casa de las Américas is an organization that was founded by the Cuban Government in April 1959, four months after the Cuban Revolution, for the purpose of developing and extending the socio-cultural relations with the countries of Latin America, the Caribbean and the rest of the world...
, the publishing house run by the Cuban government. Sea of Lentils, the English translation of his novel El mar de las lentejas, was selected by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
as one of the Notable Books of 1992. In 1980, he was given permission to attend a conference at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He traveled from Paris to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, obtained a US tourist visa, and came to the United States, where he became a professor of Spanish at Amherst
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
. The Archives and Special Collections at Amherst College holds a collection of his papers.
One of his most influential publications, La Isla que se Repite, was published in 1998 by Editorial Casiopea in Barcelona. He died in 2005.
List of works
- Tute de Reyes, 1967
- El escudo de hojas secas, 1969
- Los inquilinos 1976
- Heroica, 1977
- El mar de las lentejas (The Sea of Lentils), 1979
- Antología Personal (Personal Anthology), 1997
- La isla que se repite: el Caribe y la perspectiva posmoderna (The Repeating Island: The Caribbean and the Postmodern Perspective), 1998
- Mujer en traje de batalla (Women in Battle Dress), 2001