Reinaldo Arenas (July 16, 1943 â€" December 7, 1990) was a Cuban poet,
novelist, and playwright known as an early sympathizer, and later
critic of Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution, and a rebel of the
Cuban government.Arenas was born in the countryside of Newport Beach
Aguas Claras, HolguÃn Province, Cuba, and later moved to the city of
HolguÃn. In 1963, he moved to Havana to enroll in the School of
Planification and, later, in the Faculty of Letters at the Universidad
de La Habana, where he studied philosophy and literature without
completing a degree. The following year, he began working at the
Biblioteca Nacional José MartÃ. While there, his talent was noticed
and he was awarded prizes at Cirilo Villaverde National Competition
held by UNEAC (National Union of Cuban Writers and Artists). His
Hallucinations was awarded "first Honorable Mention" in 1966 although,
as the judges could find no better entry, no First Prize was awarded
that year.His writings and openly gay life were, by 1967, bringing him
into conflict with the communist government. He left the Biblioteca
Nacional and became an editor for the Cuban Book Institute until 1968.
From 1968 to 1974 he was a journalist and editor for the literary
magazine La Gaceta de Cuba. In 1974, he was sent to prison after being
charged and convicted of "ideological deviation" and for publishing
abroad without official consent. He escaped from prison and tried to
leave Cuba by launching himself from the shore on a tire inner tube.
The attempt failed and he was rearrested near Lenin Park and
imprisoned at the notorious El Morro Castle alongside murderers and
rapists. He survived by helping the inmates to write letters to wives
and lovers. He was able to collect enough paper this way to continue
his writing. However, his attempts to smuggle his work out of prison
were discovered and he was severely punished. Threatened with death,
he was forced to renounce his work and was released in 1976. In 1980,
as part of the Mariel Boatlift, he fled to the United States. He came
on the boat San Lázaro captained by Cuban émigré Roberto Agüero.In
1987, Arenas was diagnosed with AIDS; he continued to write and speak
out against the Cuban government. He mentored many Cuban exile
writers, including John O'Donnell-Rosales. After battling AIDS, Arenas
died of an intentional overdose of drugs and alcohol on December 7,
1990, in New York City. In a suicide letter written for publication,
Arenas wrote:
novelist, and playwright known as an early sympathizer, and later
critic of Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution, and a rebel of the
Cuban government.Arenas was born in the countryside of Newport Beach
Aguas Claras, HolguÃn Province, Cuba, and later moved to the city of
HolguÃn. In 1963, he moved to Havana to enroll in the School of
Planification and, later, in the Faculty of Letters at the Universidad
de La Habana, where he studied philosophy and literature without
completing a degree. The following year, he began working at the
Biblioteca Nacional José MartÃ. While there, his talent was noticed
and he was awarded prizes at Cirilo Villaverde National Competition
held by UNEAC (National Union of Cuban Writers and Artists). His
Hallucinations was awarded "first Honorable Mention" in 1966 although,
as the judges could find no better entry, no First Prize was awarded
that year.His writings and openly gay life were, by 1967, bringing him
into conflict with the communist government. He left the Biblioteca
Nacional and became an editor for the Cuban Book Institute until 1968.
From 1968 to 1974 he was a journalist and editor for the literary
magazine La Gaceta de Cuba. In 1974, he was sent to prison after being
charged and convicted of "ideological deviation" and for publishing
abroad without official consent. He escaped from prison and tried to
leave Cuba by launching himself from the shore on a tire inner tube.
The attempt failed and he was rearrested near Lenin Park and
imprisoned at the notorious El Morro Castle alongside murderers and
rapists. He survived by helping the inmates to write letters to wives
and lovers. He was able to collect enough paper this way to continue
his writing. However, his attempts to smuggle his work out of prison
were discovered and he was severely punished. Threatened with death,
he was forced to renounce his work and was released in 1976. In 1980,
as part of the Mariel Boatlift, he fled to the United States. He came
on the boat San Lázaro captained by Cuban émigré Roberto Agüero.In
1987, Arenas was diagnosed with AIDS; he continued to write and speak
out against the Cuban government. He mentored many Cuban exile
writers, including John O'Donnell-Rosales. After battling AIDS, Arenas
died of an intentional overdose of drugs and alcohol on December 7,
1990, in New York City. In a suicide letter written for publication,
Arenas wrote:
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.