Saldaa Excilia

Afro-Cuban juvenile literature writer, poet and academic, noted for her experimental forms which straddled the boundary between prose and poetry, blending in myth, folklore and meticulously studied cultural traditions. In 1984, she won the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba Special Prize La Rosa Blanca given for the best childrens literature of the year for the first time and repeated that award four other times in her career. In 1995, she was a finalist in the International José Martí Prize for childrens Literature awarded by the Costa Rican Ministry of Culture and the San Judas Tadeo Foundation. Three years later, her poetry garnered her the Nicolás Guilén Award. Saldaña died on 20 July 1999, aged 52, in Havana from complications of asthma. Link to Wikipedia biography Read less