Roberto Valero (1955 – September 23, 1994) was a

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

, and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

Life

Roberto Valero was born in Matanzas Province. He attended the

University of Havana The University of Havana or (UH, ''Universidad de La Habana'') is a university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of the Republic of Cuba. Founded on January 5, 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the first ...

before leaving Cuba during the Mariel Boatlift in 1980. He received his Ph.D. from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

and taught at

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

. Along with

Reinaldo Arenas Reinaldo Arenas (July 16, 1943 – December 7, 1990) was a Cuban poet, novelist, and playwright known as a vocal critic of Fidel Castro, the Cuban Revolution, and the Cuban government. His memoir of the Cuban dissident movement and of being a ...

and Reinaldo Garcia Ramos, Valero created the seminal ''Mariel'' journal. He was the 1989 recipient of the Letras de Oro Literary Prize from the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

for his book on Reinaldo Arenas. Valero's work has been compared to that of Federico García Lorca. Valero also published under the pseudonym of "Julio Real".''Handbook of Hispanic Culture-Literature'' by Nicolás Kanellos, Arte Publico Press (1993) page 57-58

Writings

Poetry

* ''Desde un oscuro ángulo''/''From a Dark Angle'' (1982) * ''En fin, la noche''/''At Last, the Night'' (1984) * ''Dharma'' (1985) with an introduction by

Eugenio Florit Eugenio Florit y Sánchez de Fuentes (October 15, 1903 - June 22, 1999) was a Cuban writer, essayist, literary critic, translator, radio actor and diplomat. Biography Eugenio Florit was a Cuban writer, born in Madrid in 1903. He lived in Catalo ...

* ''Venías/You Were Coming'' (1990) * ''No estaré en tu camino''/''I Will Not Be On Your Path'' (1991)

Novels

* ''Este Viento De Cuaresma''/''This Lenten Wind'' (1994) with an introduction by

Criticiscm

* ''El Desamparado Humor De Reinaldo Arenas''/''The Homeless Humor of Reinaldo Arenas'' (1991)

References

External links

Beltway Poetry Quarterly article on Valero and Arenas

Encyclopædia Britannica profile for Roberto Valero
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valero, Roberto 1955 births 1994 deaths American magazine editors American writers of Cuban descent American male poets Cuban exiles 20th-century Cuban novelists 20th-century Cuban poets Cuban male novelists Cuban refugees George Washington University faculty LGBT Hispanic and Latino American people Hispanic and Latino American poets Hispanic and Latino American novelists 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American poets Poets from Washington, D.C. Cuban expatriates in the United States American male novelists American male non-fiction writers Cuban male poets 20th-century American male writers