Poet, writer and journalist. He is considered one of the remarkable voices of the Ibero American poetry in XX century. Our National Poet, was born in Camagüey, on July 10, 1902 and died in the capital of the island, on July 16, 1982.

His work is entwined to the poetic tradition of Castilian Language with Afro-Antilles roots, resulting an expression having deep humanism and beauty, to represent through a great universal resonancy, the significative authenticity of our mixt culture.

In 1920, he published his first poems. Around 30s, Motives of Son, gave celebrity to this poet when recreating customes and social troubles of black men and popular music rhythm; this fact was a renovator and audacious element at literary chore producing a conclusive impact on Cuban culture. The content of these verses, being musicalized by outstanding composers of the epoch such as Alejandro García Caturla and Grenet Brothers, earns him a wide popular acceptance.

From that moment on, a huge process of progressive maturity was taking part in the artist, getting in touch with luminary figures of Cuban and European intellectualism, adquiring great significance due to his literary quality and sharp socio-cultural vision as signature feature of his work.

As man of deep and clearly defined convictions, he was involved to the most important social events of his time, bearing a militant anti-facist performance, he entered Comunist Party since its foundation, developing an intense intellectual and political labor national and internationally. In 1954, he received Lenin Prize for Peace. He was also President founder of National Writers and Artists Union of Cuba (UNEAC), responsability kept until his death. In 1972 was bestowed with Viareggio Prize in Italy, Rome and in 1983 received in Cuba National Prize of Literature.

Works:
Motivos de son (Motives of Son), 1930; Sóngoro cosongo, 1931; West Indies, Ltd, 1934; Cantos para soldados y sones para turistas (Songs for soldiers and Sones for turists), 1937; El son entero (The entire Son), 1947; La paloma del vuelo popular (Dove of Popular Flying), 1958; Tengo, 1964; Antología mayor (Major Anthology), 1964; El gran Zoo (Great Zoo), 1967; La rueda dentada (The Jagged Wheel), 1972; El diario que a diario (The Daily Daily), 1972; El corazón con que vivo (The heart with which I Live), 1975 and Por el mar de las Antillas anda un barco de papel (Through the West Indian Sea Sails a Paper Boat), 1978.

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