Valero, Roberto (1955–1994)

Roberto Valero (b. 27 May 1955; d. 23 September 1994), Cuban writer. Born in the city of Matanzas, Cuba, Valero studied at the University of Havana (1975–1980). In 1980 he joined the approximately 10,800 Cubans who entered the Peruvian Embassy asking for political asylum, and left the island with the Mariel Boatlift. Valero received a Ph.D. in literature from Georgetown University in 1988 and taught both there and at the George Washington University. During his years in Washington he wrote acclaimed books of poetry, such as Desde un oscuro ángulo (From a Dark Corner) in 1981 and En fin, la noche (At Last the Night) in 1984. At the time of his death, Valero had published extensively, had gained wide recognition for his poetry, and had been honored with several prestigious literary awards. His highly lyrical work is marked by a search for the spiritual and a preoccupation with death and man's relationship to God. In addition to his poetic output, Valero also published a novel, Este viento de cuaresma (This Lenten Wind) a finalist for Spain's Nadal Prize in 1989, and a book of literary criticism, The Forlorn Humor of Reinaldo Arenas (1991) for which he received the Letras de Oro award in 1989. Valero's other poetic works include Dharma (1985), Venías (You Came) (1990), and No estaré en tu camino (I Will Not Be in Your Way), a finalist for the Adonais Prize in 1991. He was an editor of the art and literature journal Mariel. Valero died in Washington, D.C.

See alsoHispanics in the United States; Muriel Boatlift.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Reinaldo Arenas, "El Ángulo se ilumina," in Arenas, Desde un oscuro ángulo (n.d., ca. 1982), pp. 7-9.

Eduardo Lolo, "Otra vez el día," in Círculo: Revista de Cultura 21 (1992): 133-140.

Additional Bibliography

Lauret, Mari. La odisea del Mariel (un testimonio sobre el éxodo y los sucesos de la embajada de Perú en La Habana. Madrid: Betania, 2005.

                MarÍa BadÍas Georgette Magassy Dorn