Virgilio Piñera
Virgilio Piñera Llera (August 4, 1912 – October 18, 1979) was a Cuban author, playwright, poet, short story writer, essayist and translator. His most notorious works are the poem La isla en peso (1943), the collection of short stories Cuentos Fríos (1956), the novel La carne de René (1952) and the play Electra Garrigó (1959). He is also known for his role in the translation into Spanish of the novel Ferdydurke, by Polish writer Witold Gombrowicz.
Virgilio Piñera | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 4, 1912 Cárdenas, Cuba |
| Died | October 18, 1979 Havana, Cuba |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | Spanish |
| Alma mater | University of Havana |
| Years active | 1941-1979 |
| Notable works | La isla en peso, Cuentos Fríos, Un fogonazo, La carne de René, Electra Garrigó. |
Piñera is one of the most celebrated authors of Cuban literature. His work explores alienation, absurd and madness, featuring characters that often find themselves in ridiculous and grotesque scenarios.
He was openly homosexual; however, born into a Christian family, Piñera struggled with guilt and later, after the Cuban Revolution, with the government's ostracism. Nevertheless, Piñera's work was rediscovered by Cuban and Latin American authors such as Severo Sarduy, Víctor Fowler, Rolando Sánchez and Ricardo Piglia. His works were reedited on his 100th centenary and a commission presided by Antón Arrufat organized a colloquium in his honour.