Labrador Ruíz, Enrique (1902–1991)

Enrique Labrador Ruíz (b. 11 May 1902; d. 1991), Cuban novelist, journalist, and shortstory writer. Labrador Ruíz was born in Sagua la Grande in the province of Las Villas. Self-taught, he started out as a journalist for the newspaper El Sol in the city of Cienfuegos and eventually became one of its editors. When the paper moved to Havana, he, too, moved and once there, began to write for other newspapers and magazines. In 1946 he received the National Short Story Prize for "El conejito Ulán." In 1950 he was awarded the National Prize for his novel La sangre hambrienta, and in 1951 he received the Juan Gualberto Gómez prize for journalism. His work appeared in publications all over the Americas, including Orígenes (Cuba), The American News (United States), and Babel (Chile).

After the Cuban Revolution of 1959, Labrador Ruíz became editor of the National Publishing House. Although he was initially supportive of the Cuban government, he eventually broke with it and emigrated to Miami, where he died in 1991. His work is considered to be a precursor of the modern Latin American novel.

Among Labrador Ruíz's most important works are the novels El laberinto de sí mismo (1933, repr. 1983), Cresival (1936), Carne de quimera: Novelines neblinosos (1947, repr. 1983), and La sangre hambrienta (1950), and the short stories El gallo en el espejo (1953) and Cuentos (1970).

See alsoCuba, Revolutions: Cuban Revolution; Literature: Latin America.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Rita Molinero, La narrativa de Enrique Labrador Ruíz (1977) and Homenaje a Enrique Labrador Ruíz (1981).

Additional Bibliography

Garrandés, Alberto. Aire de Luz: Cuentos cubanos del siglo XX. La Habana: Editorial Letras Cubanas, 1999.

                                     Roberto Valero