Ahmel Echevarría Peré ( Havana , 1974 ), Cuban poet, novelist, short story writer, web editor and photographer. His short stories and novels , which have won prestigious literary competitions in the country, reflect, through a personal narrative discourse, the realities, conflicts and problems of contemporary Cuban society. He is considered among the most talented and renowned young storytellers on the island.
Biographical summary
Studies completed
Graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the José Antonio Echeverría Polytechnic Institute in 1998.Member of the IV Narrative Techniques Course of the Onelio Jorge Cardoso Literary Training Center .
Career path
He is a member of UNEAC (National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba) and LASA (Latin American Studies Association).He was also a member of the staff of the irregularly written e-zine The Revolution Evening Post and is a columnist in the Dialogues section of the website of the Hermanos Saíz Association .He is a columnist for the website of the magazine Cuba Contemporánea [1]
He currently works as editor of the website Centronelio.cult.cu, of the Onelio Jorge Cardoso Literary Training Center , [2] and of Vercuba . [3]He has participated as a jury member in more than a dozen competitions, including the Luis Rogelio Nogueras Prize , the Calendario Prize , the Fronesis Novel Creation Grant, the Matanzas City Foundation Prize, and the Reina del Mar Editores Prize.He is a member of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC).
Active bibliography
- 2006: Shards(novel). Havana: Cuban Letters , 2006.
- 2007: Inventory(storybook). Havana: Union , 2007.
- 2012: Training Days(novel). Prague (Czech Republic) : FRA, 2012.
- 2013: The Ferris Wheel(novel). Havana: Union , 2013.
- 2013: Buffaloes on the way to the slaughterhouse(storybook). Santiago de Cuba: Oriente , 2013.
- 2017: Pommel Horse(novel). Havana: 2017.
His stories appear in the anthologies:
- Dream Stories and Other Short Stories. Havana: Luminaria , 2003.
- Those Who Count: An Anthology. Havana: Cajachina , 2007.
- The Fabulous Island: The Cuban Short Story in the Revolution (1959-2008). Havana: Editorial Letras Cubanas, 2008.
- The Flame inthe Mouth: Young Cuban Narrators. Rome (Italy): Voland, 2009.
- A whimsical procession: one hundred Cuban narrators. Havana: Ediciones La Luz, 2011.
- Neither + nor – fat women. Havana: Extramuros Editions, 2011.
- The Hammer and the Sickle. Havana: Islíada, 2011.
- I have seen the trains pass by. Havana: Letras Cubanas, 2012.
- Island in Black: Stories of Crime and Enigma. Havana: April, 2013.
The Ferris Wheel , winner of the 2012 Italo Calvino Novel Prize.
His texts, both literary and opinion, have appeared in periodical publications such as Temas , The Cuban Gazette , Union , The Storyteller , The Bearded Caiman , The Scribe’s Letter , Matanzas Magazine , Extramuros , Book Mail , SIC , La Noria , The Inkwell , Alma Mater and We Are Young .
His contributions are also included in the digital magazine 33 1/3 and in digital publications such as Cubaliteraria , La Jiribilla , Esquife , Calle B and Voces .
Awards and Distinctions
- 2004: David Award in the “story” genre with the book Inventory(Unión, 2007);
- 2005: Pinos Nuevos Prizefor the novel Esquirlas (Letras Cubanas, 2006);
- 2007: Fronesis Novel Creation Grant
- 2008: Razón de Ser creative grant, for the short story book project The Spirals of Time.
- 2008: Mention in the UNEAC Cirilo VillaverdeNovel Prize
- 2010: Franz KafkaPrize for Drawer Novels, for the book Training Days ( Prague : FRA, 2012);
- 2010: Dador Scholarshipfor the book Cake for Pitbulls .
- 2010 and 2011: Runner-up in the La Gaceta de CubaShort Story Prize for the book Cake for Pitbulls .
- 2012: José Soler Puig Novel Prize, for the book Buffaloes on the way to the slaughterhouse(Oriente, 2013)
- 2012: Ítalo CalvinoNovel Prize , for the book La noria (Unión, 2013).
- 2013: Dador Scholarship for the book Caballo con armones.