Lisandro Otero

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Lisandro Otero González (June 4, 1932 – January 3, 2008) was a Cuban novelist and journalist.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Otero won the National Prize of Literature in 2002, and was the director of Cuban Academy of Language since October 2004 to his death. He also was a member of The Royal Academy of Spanish Language and Member of the Northamerican Academy of the Spanish Language. Graduating with degrees of Journalism and Philosophy and Letters in 1954 at the Havana University, he also studied at La Sorbona, Paris. (1954-1956).

Major publications of the country such as Revolución Newspaper, Cuba Magazine and Revolución y Cultura Magazine have been directed by him. He has also collaborated with some other publications such as Bohemia, Carteles, Granma, Juventud Rebelde, El Mundo, Casa de las Américas, Unión, La Gaceta de Cuba de Cuba, also in Le Monde Diplomatique, Partisans, Europe, Washington Post, Excelsior from Mexico and recently in El Sol de Mexico.

Otero won the Novel Prize in Casa de las Américas Contest in 1963 with La situación (The Situation). In 1965, he obtained mention at the Contest of Biblioteca Breve from Seix Parral Editorial in Barcelona with his novel Pasión de Urbino (Urbino's Passion) and was acknowledged with the Literary Critic Prize for his Temporadas de Angeles (Angels Season), 1983.

He undertook diplomatic activities as cultural counselor in the Cuban representations in Chile, Great Britain and Soviet Union. He penned the script for the musical comedy El Solar, which has been brought to movies and ballet. His works have been translated into German, Italian, French, English, Russian, Rumanian, Bulgarian, Hungarian and Czech languages.

Otero has been acknowledged with the National Prize of Journalism in Cuba, Félix Elmuza Order, Medal for Fighter of Clandestine Struggle and the Conmemorative Medal for the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Cuban Armed Forces, also Alejo Carpentier Medal. Besides he boasts the National Order to the Excellence, conferred by the French government and the National Prize of Journalism bestowed by the Journalists Club of Mexico.

His works included: Tabaco para un Jueves Santo y otros cuentos cubanos (Tobacco for a Blessed Thursday and other Cuban Tales), Paris, 1955. /Cuba: Z.D.A., Havana, 1960. /Hemingway, Havana, 1963 (Cuadernos Casa de las Américas, 2). /La situación (The Situation) (novel), Havana, 1963; Santiago de Chile, 1967; Havana, 1975. /Pasión de Urbino (Urbino's Passion) (novel), Buenos Aires, 1966; Havana, 1967. /En busca de Viet Nam (Finding Viet Nam) (essays), Havana, 1970. /En ciudad semejante (novel), Havana, 1970. /Temporada de Angeles (Angels Season) Havana, 1983 / Bolero, 1984. /Llover sobre mojado (When it Rains, it Pours), Havana, 1997 and El árbol de la vida (The Tree of Life), 1990; De Gutenberg a Bill Gates (From Gutenberg to Bill Gates) Havana, 2003; Charada (Charada) Havana, 2004.