Arenas, Reinaldo, 1943-1990

Novelist, storywriter, poet, and essayist, Reinaldo Arenas was born in Holguín, Province of Oriente, Cuba, in 1943. He studied philosophy and literature at the Universidad de La Habana without completing a degree. His first novel, CELESTINO ANTES DEL ALBA, which in 1965 won a First Mention Award at the Cirilo Villaverde National Competition, was published by the National Union of Cuban Writers and Artists in 1967. In 1973, he was sent to prison after being charged and convicted for "ideological deviation" and for publishing abroad without offical consent. In 1980, as part of the Port of Mariel exodus, he was exiled in the United States where he lived until taking his own life in New York City on December 7, 1990.

From the description of Reinaldo Arenas papers, 1959-1986. (Peking University Library). WorldCat record id: 60358285