Víctor Rodríguez Núñez (born in Havana, 1955) is a
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
n poet, journalist, literary critic and translator.
In addition to Cuba, he has lived in Nicaragua, Colombia, and the United States, where he is currently a Professor of Spanish at
Kenyon College
Kenyon College ( ) is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1824 by Episcopal Bishop Philander Chase. It is the oldest private instituti ...
.
Poetry
Rodríguez Núñez has published over twenty books of poetry, including:
*''Cayama'' (Santiago de Cuba: Uvero, 1979)
*''Con raro olor a mundo'' (Havana: Unión, 1981)
*''Noticiario del solo'' (Havana: Letras Cubanas, 1987)
*''Cuarto de desahogo'' (Havana: Unión, 1993)
*''Los poemas de nadie y otros poemas'' (Intro. Juan Manuel Roca. Medellín:
Tecnológico de Antioquia
The Tecnológico de Antioquia (TdeA) (English: Antioquia Institute of Technology), also called Tecnológico de Antioquia – University Institute, is an academic institution of higher education in Colombia in the department of Antioquia, provides ...
, 1994)
*''El último a la feria'' (San José de Costa Rica: EDUCA, 1995)
*''Oración inconclusa'' (Seville: Renacimiento, 2000)
*''Con raro olor a mundo: Primera antología'' (Havana: Unión, 2004)
*''Actas de medianoche I'' (Valladolid: Junta de Castilla y León, 2006)
*''Actas de medianoche II'' (Soria: Diputación Provincial de Soria, 2007)
*''Todo buen corazón es un prismático: Antología poética, 1975-2005''. Intro.
Juan Gelman
Juan Gelman (3 May 1930 – 14 January 2014) was an Argentine poet. He published more than twenty books of poetry between 1956 and his death in early 2014. He was a naturalized citizen of Mexico, where he arrived as a political exile of the Proc ...
. (Mexico: La Cabra Ediciones-UANL, 2010)
*''Intervenciones: Antología poética''. Ed. and Intro. Juan Carlos Abril. (Santander
pain
Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging Stimulus (physiology), stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sense, sensory and emotional experience associated with, or res ...
La Mirada Creadora, 2010)
*''tareas'' (Seville: Renacimiento, 2011)
*''reversos'' (Madrid: Visor, 2011)
*''reversos'' (Guadalajara: Mantis Editores-Escritores de Cajeme, 2011)
* ''thaw/deshielos''. Trans. Katherine Hedeen. Todmorden: Arc Publications, 2013.
* ''desde un granero rojo''. Madrid: Hiperión, 2013.
* ''Cuarto de desahogo: Antología personal, 1975-2010''. Havana: Letras Cubanas, 2013.
* ''deshielos''. Granada: Valparaíso Ediciones, 2014.
* ''desde un granero rojo: poesía reciente''. Quito: ElÁngelEditor, 2014.
Poetry awards
Rodríguez Núñez has won numerous prizes for his poetry:
*David Prize (Cuba, 1980)
*Plural Prize (Mexico, 1983)
*EDUCA Prize (Costa Rica, 1995)
*Renacimiento Prize (Spain, 2000)
*Fray Luis de León Prize, Accésit (Spain, 2005)
*Leonor Prize (Spain, 2006)
*Rincón de la Victoria Prize (Spain, 2010)
*Jaime Gil de Biedma Prize, Accésit (Spain, 2011)
* Alfons el Magnànim Poetry Prize (Spain, 2013)
Poetry in translation
Collections of Rodríguez Núñez’s poetry has been translated into the following languages:
*English (''The Infinite’s Ash'', trans. by Katherine Hedeen, Todmorden: Arc Publications, 2008, ''Every Good Heart Is a Telescope'', trans. by Hedeen, Toad Press, 2013, and ''With a Strange Scent of World'', trans. by Hedeen, Diálogos Books, 2014)
*French (''L’étrange odeur du monde'', trans. by
Jean Portante, Paris: L’Oreille du Loup, 2011)
*Italian (''L’ultimo alla fiera'', trans. by Emilio Coco, Foggia: Sentieri Meridiani, 2011)
*Serbian (Свако добро срце има облик призме, trans. by Радивоје Константиновић, Novisad: Adresa, 2014)
*Swedish (''Världen ryms i en alexandrin'', trans. by Lasse Söderberg, Malmö: Aura Latina, 2011)
A wide selection of his poetry has also been translated into Arabic, Dutch, German, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Portuguese, Russian, and Slovenian.
Cultural journalism
During the eighties Rodríguez Núñez wrote for and was the editor of ''El Caimán Barbudo'', one of Cuba’s leading cultural magazines, where he published dozens of articles on literature and film. A selection of his interviews with Hispanic poets appears in ''La poesía sirve para todo'' (Havana: Unión, 2008).
He is currently the assistant director of the Mexican cultural journal, ''La Otra.''
Literary criticism
Rodríguez Núñez has compiled three influential anthologies that have defined his poetic generation:
[Walfrido Dorta. "Almas y centros: poesía y crítica.” Cuba Literaria. 23 December 2007.
www.cubaliteraria.com/delacuba/ficha.php?s_Autor=Walfrido+Dorta&Id=1478]
*''Cuba: En su lugar la poesía'' (Mexico: U Autónoma Metropolitana-Azcapotzalco, 1982)
*''Usted es la culpable: Nueva poesía cubana'' (Havana: Editora Abril, 1985)
*''El pasado del cielo: La nueva y novísima poesía cubana'' (Medellín: Alejandría Editores, 1994)
Most recently, he introduced and compiled a major anthology of 20th century poetry in Cuba, ''Poesía cubana: Antología esencial'', for the Spanish publisher Visor (Madrid: 2011).
His book-length study on
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian writer and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th centur ...
’s non-fiction, ''Cien años de solidaridad'' (Havana: Unión, 1986) was awarded the Enrique José Varona Prize in 1986.
Rodríguez Núñez has published various critical editions, introductions, and essays on Spanish American poets including:
*''Oh, smog: Antología poética''
ith Katherine M. Hedeen By
Juan Calzadilla
Juan Calzadilla (16 May 1930 – 15 June 2025) was a Venezuelan poet, painter, and art critic.
Education
He studied in the Universidad Central de Venezuela and in the Instituto Pedagógico Nacional.
Artistic life
He was co-founder of the g ...
. (Havana: Arte y Literatura, 2008)
*''Poesía''. By
Francisco Urondo (Havana:
Casa de las Américas
Casa de las Américas is an organization that was founded by the Cuban Government in April 1959, four months after the Cuban Revolution, for the purpose of developing and extending the socio-cultural relations with the countries of Latin America, ...
, 2006)
*''Oda a
Rubén Darío
Félix Rubén García Sarmiento (18 January 1867 – 6 February 1916), known as Rubén Darío ( , ), was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-language literary movement known as '' modernismo'' (modernism) that flourished at the end of ...
: Poemas selectos''. By
José Coronel Urtecho. (Caracas:
Biblioteca Ayacucho The Biblioteca Ayacucho (''Ayacucho Library'') is an editorial entity of the government of Venezuela, founded on September 10, 1974. It is managed by the ''Fundación Biblioteca Ayacucho''. Its name, ''Ayacucho'', comes from the intention to honor t ...
, 2005)
*''La soledad de América Latina: Escritos sobre arte y literatura, 1948-1988''. By
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian writer and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th centur ...
. (Havana: Arte y Literatura, 1989)
*''Cinco puntos cardinales''. By Z. Valdés, J. A. Mazzotti, E. Llanos Melussa, J. R. Saravia and A. Desiderato. (Havana:
Casa de las Américas
Casa de las Américas is an organization that was founded by the Cuban Government in April 1959, four months after the Cuban Revolution, for the purpose of developing and extending the socio-cultural relations with the countries of Latin America, ...
, 1989)
*''País secreto''. By Juan Manuel Roca. (Havana:
Casa de las Américas
Casa de las Américas is an organization that was founded by the Cuban Government in April 1959, four months after the Cuban Revolution, for the purpose of developing and extending the socio-cultural relations with the countries of Latin America, ...
, 1987)
Translation
Rodríguez Núñez is also a translator.
From Spanish into English, titles include:
*''Esto sucede cuando el corazón de una mujer se rompe''. By
Margaret Randall. (Madrid: Hiperion, 1999)
*''El silo: Una sinfonía pastoral''
ith Katherine Hedeen By
John Kinsella. (Havana: Arte y Literatura, 2005)
*''América o el resplandor''
ith Katherine Hedeen By
John Kinsella. (Havana: Torre de Letras, 2006 and Mexico: Mantis, 2013)
*''En esa redonda nación de sangre: Poesía indígena estadounidense contemporánea''
ith Katherine Hedeen Intro.
Janet McAdams. (Mexico: La Cabra-CONACULTA, 2011 and Havana: Arte y Literatura, 2013)
*''La vida incesante y otros poemas''
ith Katherine Hedeen By
Mark Strand
Mark Strand (April 11, 1934 – November 29, 2014) was a Canadian-born American poet, essayist and translator. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1990 and received the Wallace Stevens Award in 2004 ...
. (Mexico: El Tucán de Virginia, 2013)
From Spanish into English:
*''The Poems of Sidney West''
ith Katherine Hedeen By
Juan Gelman
Juan Gelman (3 May 1930 – 14 January 2014) was an Argentine poet. He published more than twenty books of poetry between 1956 and his death in early 2014. He was a naturalized citizen of Mexico, where he arrived as a political exile of the Proc ...
. (Cambridge:
Salt Publishing
Salt Publishing is an independent publisher whose origins date back to 1990 when poet John Kinsella launched ''Salt Magazine'' in Western Australia. The journal rapidly developed an international reputation as a leading publisher of new poetry ...
, 2009)
*''Diary with No Subject''
ith Katherine Hedeen By
Juan Calzadilla
Juan Calzadilla (16 May 1930 – 15 June 2025) was a Venezuelan poet, painter, and art critic.
Education
He studied in the Universidad Central de Venezuela and in the Instituto Pedagógico Nacional.
Artistic life
He was co-founder of the g ...
. (Cambridge:
Salt Publishing
Salt Publishing is an independent publisher whose origins date back to 1990 when poet John Kinsella launched ''Salt Magazine'' in Western Australia. The journal rapidly developed an international reputation as a leading publisher of new poetry ...
, 2009)
*''Garden of Silica''
ith Katherine Hedeen By
Ida Vitale
Ida Vitale (born 2 November 1923) is a Uruguayan poet, translator, essayist, lecturer and literary critic.
Life
She played an important role in the Uruguayan art movement known as the 'Generation of 45': Carlos Maggi, Manuel Flores Mora, Á ...
. (Cambridge:
Salt Publishing
Salt Publishing is an independent publisher whose origins date back to 1990 when poet John Kinsella launched ''Salt Magazine'' in Western Australia. The journal rapidly developed an international reputation as a leading publisher of new poetry ...
, 2010)
*''Blue Coyote with Guitar''
ith Katherine Hedeen By Juan Bañuelos. (Cambridge:
Salt Publishing
Salt Publishing is an independent publisher whose origins date back to 1990 when poet John Kinsella launched ''Salt Magazine'' in Western Australia. The journal rapidly developed an international reputation as a leading publisher of new poetry ...
, 2010)
*''The Bridges''
ith Katherine Hedeen By
Fayad Jamís. (Cambridge:
Salt Publishing
Salt Publishing is an independent publisher whose origins date back to 1990 when poet John Kinsella launched ''Salt Magazine'' in Western Australia. The journal rapidly developed an international reputation as a leading publisher of new poetry ...
, 2011)
* ''Friday in Jerusalem and Other Poems''
ith Katherine Hedeen By Marco Antonio Campos. (Cromer:
Salt Publishing
Salt Publishing is an independent publisher whose origins date back to 1990 when poet John Kinsella launched ''Salt Magazine'' in Western Australia. The journal rapidly developed an international reputation as a leading publisher of new poetry ...
, 2012)
* ''The World So Often: Poems 1982-2008''
ith Katherine Hedeen By
Luis García Montero
Luis García Montero is a Spanish poet, literary critic and academic. He is a professor of Spanish Literature at the University of Granada.
Early life and education
Descended from a '' granadina'' family that was very active in the communit ...
. (Cromer:
Salt Publishing
Salt Publishing is an independent publisher whose origins date back to 1990 when poet John Kinsella launched ''Salt Magazine'' in Western Australia. The journal rapidly developed an international reputation as a leading publisher of new poetry ...
, 2013)
He is an Associate Editor for
Salt Publishing
Salt Publishing is an independent publisher whose origins date back to 1990 when poet John Kinsella launched ''Salt Magazine'' in Western Australia. The journal rapidly developed an international reputation as a leading publisher of new poetry ...
’s Earthwork’s Series of Latin American Poetry in Translation.
Interviews, essays and reviews
*José Ángel Leyva. “Víctor Rodríguez Núñez: La poesía es algo más que literatura”. ''La Otra'' 14 (Oct.-Dec. 2011): 39-47.
*Roberto Méndez Martínez. “Víctor Rodríguez Núñez: Hacia la medianoche”. ''La Otra'' 14 (Oct.-Dec. 2011): 49-51.
*Hugo Mujica. “Todo está al otro lado de la noche”. ''Cuadernos Hispanoamericanos'' 736 (Oct. 2011): 103-114.
*Armando Chávez Rivera. “Víctor Rodríguez Núñez: Escobamarga y curujeyes”. ''Cuba per se: Cartas de la diáspora''. Cincuenta escritores cubanos responden sobre su vida fuera de la Isla. Miami: Universal, 2009. 479-488.
*Reina María Rodríguez. “Las Actas de medianoche de VRN”. ''Actas de medianoche y otros poemas''. By Rodríguez Núñez. Havana: Torre de Letras, 2008. 5-9.
*Juan Manuel Roca. “Postal de medianoche”. ''Los poemas de nadie y otros poemas''. By Rodríguez Núñez. Medellin: Tecnológico de Antioquia, 1994.
References
External links
Author's Page at Arc PublicationsAuthor's Page at Lavender Ink/DiálogosKenyon College Faculty PageSalt Publishing's Earthworks SeriesPoems: ''Asymptote'', January 2014Essay: ''Los Angeles Review of Books'', Juan Gelman or "about a truth that didn't believe in death"Interview: ''Asymptote'', 2014Poems: InTranslation, ''Brooklyn Rail'', 2012''La Otra''''La Otra'': Yo PoetaArc Publications Blog IArc Publications Blog II
Poems: ''La Otra''Poems: in Hungarian
* ttps://www.scribd.com/doc/79502929/Revista-UIC-22 Interview: Víctor Rodríguez Núñez: El poeta sin pedestal in ''UIC''br>Review: "Con olor a buena poesía" by Carlos Espinosa Domínguez in ''Encuentro en la Red''Video: Reading at Manchester Literary Festival, 2011Video: Reading at O'Miami Poetry Festival, 2011Video: Reading at Granada, Nicaragua's International Poetry Festival, 2011Video: Reading at Granada, Nicaragua's International Poetry Festival, 2009Video: Reading from ''Deshielo''Video: Poesía en su propia vozVideo: Reading at the Medellín International Poetry Festival, 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nunez, Victor Rodriguez
Rodriguez Nunez, Victor
Rodriguez Nunez, Victor
Rodriguez Nunez, Victor
Rodriguez Nunez, Victor
Rodriguez Nunez, Victor
Rodriguez Nunez, Victor
Living people
1955 births