The Cuban writer, professor and journalist Julio Travieso Serrano, 2021 National Literature Prize, died this Saturday in Havana at the age of 82.
Born on March 30, 1943, he studied Law at the University of Havana, obtained a master’s degree in Sciences at the Lomonosov University in Moscow and, in 1985, a doctorate in Economics at the Latin American Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union, according to the Cuban Book Institute.
He was a member of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (Uneac), and stood out as a teacher at the University of Havana and in institutions in Spain, Russia and Mexico. His literary work includes to kill the wolf, When the night dies, dust and gold and It rains on Havana.
“Due to the transcendence of his work, considered a reference within Cuban novels,” received the National Literature Award in 2021in addition to the Mazatlán Literature Prize (Mexico) and the Literary Criticism Prize (Cuba), according to the official statement.
He also obtained the Distinction for National Culture and the Alexander Pushkin Order of the Russian State.
The man who did not choose literature
In interview for Cubadebate in 2023, Naughty Serrano defined literature as an “incurable and catchy disease,” quoting Cervantes, and explained that he never chose writing as a formal profession, but rather as a parallel activity to other work.
“To be a writer of literature there are no specific studies. A good part of the great writers did not go to university, and did not even complete secondary studies. A writer can take courses in general culture or literary culture, but they will hardly be able to teach him how to write a good novel,” he then told the media.
Travieso published his first book of stories in 1966 and collected royalties nine years later, in 1976. He wrote at night, between 10 pm and 2 am, in search of silence.
“Continue because I like literature, I enjoy the process of literary creation, just as painters and composers enjoy their creations. It is a way of communicating with my peers, to whom my writings can bring satisfaction and perhaps help.”
Asked about his country, he described it as “the place where my wife, with whom I lived for 49 years, and my parents, my grandparents, my ancestors, are buried, where my companions, murdered, from the clandestine struggle in Havana rest.”
He then lamented the global decline in interest in books, attributed to “catwalk culture” and new media, for which he proposed improving bookstores, publishing and promotion.
He defined himself as someone who sought “tranquility, friendship […] qualified”, he detested fakers and continued “loving love” despite the “troubles of life”.
