Eduardo Heras León

Eduardo Rafael Heras León (5 August 1940 - 12 April 2023) was a Cuban writer and professor who was awarded with Cuba's National Literature Prize in 2014.

Biography
León was born in Cerro, Havana, on 5 August 1940. At age 12 his father died, and he and his brothers had to work to support his family. In high school he collaborated with the rebels of the 26 July Movement.

In January 1959 he joined the revolutionary militia. He fought in support of the revolutionary government in the attack on the Bay of Pigs in April 1961. In 1968 he won the David Prize for his book La guerra tuvo seis nombres ("The War Had Six Names"). In 1970, he won another prize for the book Los pasos en la hierba ("The Steps on the Grass"), this time awarded by Casa de las Américas.

With the support of the Ministry of Culture and National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), he founded the Centro de Formación Literaria Onelio Jorge Cardoso in 1998, a place where young talents learn literary techniques.

In February 2015, he won the National Prize for Literature.

León died on 12 April 2023, at the age of 82.