Writer, poetess and essayist. Fina García Marruz was born in Havana, April 28, 1923. Graduated from Social Sciences at Havana University in 1961.

She is wife and colleague of Master Cintio Vitier and mother of two major contemporary composers, Sergio and José María Vitier, also sister in low of another luminary at Cuban letters, the late Eliseo Diego. Fina was one of the two women members of Orígenes Group (together with Cleva Solís) headed by José Lezama Lima, 1944-1956. Since her early years, she had shown her deep interest towards letters.

In 1962, she started to work as literary researcher at José Martí National Library, joining also Center of Marti Studies since its foundation in 1977 until 1987, where she achieved the Literary Researcher category and became member of the working team of critic edition from José Martí Complete Works.

She has collaborated, in addition, with some publications, citing Lyceum, Nueva Revista Cubana, Cuba in UNESCO, Islas, La Gaceta de Cuba, Unión and National Library Magazine, publishing also diverse essays in Anuario Martiano about Martí.

Featuring ''El tiempo en la crónica norteamericana de Martí'', she attended with other Cuban intellectuals the International Colloquium about Martí celebrated in Burdeos, France in 1972.

Winner of National Literature Prize in 1990, this unpretentious, shy and enemy-of-praises woman, who prefers the private spaces at home, is one of the best approachers, not only of poetry, but also essay, revealing in both genres her lyric voice.

She has received among other distinctions: Alejo Carpentier Order, National Culture Distinction, Raúl Gómez García Distinction, Fernando Ortiz Medal from Sciences Academy of Cuba and Literary Critic Prize for: Hablar de poesía, 1986; Créditos de Charlot, 1990; Los Rembrandts de L'Hermitage, 1992; Habana de Centro, 1996 and Darío, Martí y lo germinal americano, 2001.


More information at National Literature Prize.

See works from this artist at our Cuban Books Shop