Eduardo Heras León


Eduardo Rafael Heras León is a Cuban writer and professor who was awarded the Cuban National Literature Prize in 2014.

Biography

León was born in Cerro, Havana on the 5 August 1940. When he was 12 years old his father died, and he and his brothers had to work to support his family. In high school he collaborated with the rebels of the 26 July Movement.
After January 1, 1959 he joined the revolsutionary militia. He fought in support of the revolutionary government in the attack on "Bahía de Cochinos," in April 1961. In 1968 he won the David Prize for his book La guerra tuvo seis nombres. In 1970, he won another prize for the book Los pasos en la hierba, this time awarded by Casa de las Américas.
With the support of the Cuban Ministry of Culture and UNEAC, he founded the Centro de Formación Literaria Onelio Jorge Cardoso in 1998, a place where young talents learn literary techniques.
In February 2015, he won the National Prize for Literature.