Américas, Abril, Pueblo y Educación (school texts), Union, Letras Cubanes, and the
University of Havana.
The La Edad de Oro Award was established in the 1970s. Sponsored by the Ministry
of Culture and the José Martí Pioneers Organisation (a children’s institution), this award
promoted the production of literature for children. Many writers have been honoured
with this award, but only a comparatively few became fully fledged writers. An important
Forum for Children’s Literature was held under the guidance of writer Mirta Aguirre,
during which policies were discussed and the foundations were laid for a movement that
is today an important province of Cuban culture.
Three groups of writers can be distinguished since 1959. First, writers who had
published books before then, and who have continued to do so: these include Onelio
Jorge Cardoso; Eliseo Diego (adaptations of English classics and the book of poems
Soñar despierto); Renée Méndez Capote with Memorias de una cubanita que nació con el
siglo (a text for adults enjoyed by children); Felix Pita Rodríguez with Niños de Viet Nam;
Mirta Aguirre with her paradigmatic Juegos y otros poemas; Nícolas Guillén with his
book of poems Por el mar de las Antillas anda un barco de papel; and, of course, Dora
Alonso, whose name was included in the Honours Roll of the Andersen Award for 1984.
Alonso has published books of poems, novelettes, books of stories, memoirs and quite a
number of plays.
There is a transitional group, of writers born before 1959 who gained recognition
through periodicals and literary contests: Rafaela Chacón Nardi, Hilda de Oráa, Anisia
Miranda, Lourdes Díaz Canto, Adolfo Martí Fuentes, Adolfo Menéndez Alberdi, Edwigis
Barroso and others.
The third group of younger writers has a different approach to realism. Literary contests
have been instrumental in what is published—only award-winners can be assured of
publication. Memorable works and promising authors are: Julia Calzadilla (two Casa de
las Américas awards for Cantares de la America Latina y el Caribe and Los chichiricú del
charco de la jícara); Nersys Felipe (with the same awards for Cuentos de Guane and
Román Elé); Enid Vian (same award for Las historias de Juan Yendo); Emilio de Armas
(same award for Junto al álamo de los sinsontes); Aramís Quintero for his poetic
collections Días de aire, Maíz regado, and Arca; Omar Felipe Mauri (13th March Award
for Un patio así, Amigos del patio, and Lunar; and La Edad de Oro Award for Alguien
borra las estrellas); Luis Cabrera Delgado (UNEAC and White Rose Awards for Tía Julita,
Mayito, and other titles); Antonio Orlando Rodríguez (UNEAC, La Edad de Oro and White
Rose Awards for Abuelita Milagro, Pues señor este era un circo, Mi bicicleta era un hada y
otros secretos por el estilo); Froilán Escobar (Ana y su estrella de olor, Secreto caracol, El
monte en el sombrero); Ivette Vian (Mi amigo Muk Kun, La Marcolina, El telescopio de
David Sietecuentinos)’, Excilia Saldaña (Kele Kele, La noche); Alberto Yáñez (Cuentan que
Penelope); and also David Chericián, Alberto Serret, Chely Lima, Denia García Ronda,
Mirta Yáñez, Waldo González López, Julio M. Llanes, Emilia Gallego, Omar González,
José Antonio Gutiérrez, Olga Fernández, Rodolfo Pérez Valero and Daisy Valls.
There is also a new generation of authors, the publication of whose works has been
limited due to the shortage of paper and other materials in the last few years. They win
awards, and approach literature more critically and less conservatively. Poets, story-
tellers and most novelists of the previous generation viewed the book for children as a
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