Dora Alonso
Encyclopedia
Dora Alonso is a Cuba
n journalist and writer who has worked in both print and radio. She has written novels, short stories, poetry, theater and children's literature. She was also a radio and television script writer and a war correspondent
.
, Matanzas
, Cuba
on December 22, 1910, to Adela Pérez de Corcho Rodríguez and David Alonso Fernández.
Her first poem, "Amor", appeared in the newspaper El Mundo. In 1933 she became a correspondent of the newspaper Prensa Libre (Free Press). She joined the anti-imperialist organization Joven Cuba in 1934 and met Constantino Barredo Guerra, with whom she had a relationship (including joint revolutionary activities) until 1938. During this time she also wrote her first radio scripts. In 1936, one of her first short stories on social issues was awarded first place in a literary contest by the literary magazine, Bohemia. In 1942, Alonso started writing for the magazine Lux (Light), published by the Sindicate Federation of Electric Stations of Gas and Water, which featured her first interviews with several personalities and political figures, such as Ti Tsun Li (Chinese
ambassador in Cuba]]) and Chile
an poet Pablo Neruda
. She also received an award from Alianza Cubana por un Mundo Libre (Cuban Alliance for World Freedom). In the 1950s she wrote theatrical scripts for the Cuban puppet show Pelusín del Monte, which was a Cuban television show.
Alonso is a well-known children's writer and her works have been translated and distributed in other countries. She is the most translated and published Cuban author for children. Her narrative style is based on simplicity and handling of emotions. An important subject of her works is the Cuban farmer showing his human values and love for nature.
One of her most famous books, The Year 1961, which chronicled her experiences during the Bay of Pigs invasion
as a war correspondent at Playa Girón, Cuba
, won the Casa de las Américas
Award.
Two of her novels, Tierra Brava and Soy el Batey, have been made into movies by the Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión (ICRT). Tierra Inerme, another of her novels, received the highest recognition at II Spanish American Literary Contest at Casa de las Américas.
Dora Alonso died on March 21, 2001 at age 90.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n journalist and writer who has worked in both print and radio. She has written novels, short stories, poetry, theater and children's literature. She was also a radio and television script writer and a war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
.
Biography
Dora Alonso was born in Máximo GómezMáximo Gómez
Máximo Gómez y Báez was a Major General in the Ten Years' War and Cuba's military commander in that country's War of Independence ....
, Matanzas
Matanzas
Matanzas is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. It is famed for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore.It is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas , east of the capital Havana and west of the resort town of Varadero.Matanzas is called the...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
on December 22, 1910, to Adela Pérez de Corcho Rodríguez and David Alonso Fernández.
Her first poem, "Amor", appeared in the newspaper El Mundo. In 1933 she became a correspondent of the newspaper Prensa Libre (Free Press). She joined the anti-imperialist organization Joven Cuba in 1934 and met Constantino Barredo Guerra, with whom she had a relationship (including joint revolutionary activities) until 1938. During this time she also wrote her first radio scripts. In 1936, one of her first short stories on social issues was awarded first place in a literary contest by the literary magazine, Bohemia. In 1942, Alonso started writing for the magazine Lux (Light), published by the Sindicate Federation of Electric Stations of Gas and Water, which featured her first interviews with several personalities and political figures, such as Ti Tsun Li (Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
ambassador in Cuba]]) and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an poet Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
. She also received an award from Alianza Cubana por un Mundo Libre (Cuban Alliance for World Freedom). In the 1950s she wrote theatrical scripts for the Cuban puppet show Pelusín del Monte, which was a Cuban television show.
Alonso is a well-known children's writer and her works have been translated and distributed in other countries. She is the most translated and published Cuban author for children. Her narrative style is based on simplicity and handling of emotions. An important subject of her works is the Cuban farmer showing his human values and love for nature.
One of her most famous books, The Year 1961, which chronicled her experiences during the Bay of Pigs invasion
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The invasion was launched in April 1961, less than three months...
as a war correspondent at Playa Girón, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, won the Casa de las Américas
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, the Caribbean and the rest of the world...
Award.
Two of her novels, Tierra Brava and Soy el Batey, have been made into movies by the Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión (ICRT). Tierra Inerme, another of her novels, received the highest recognition at II Spanish American Literary Contest at Casa de las Américas.
Dora Alonso died on March 21, 2001 at age 90.
Works
- Tierra Inerme
- The Year 1961
- Tierra Brava
- Soy el Batey
- Aventuras de Guille
- Palomar
- El grillo caminante
- El caballito enano
- La flauta de chocolate
- Teatro para niños
- Tres lechuzas en un cuento
- El cochero azul
- El valle de la Pájara Pinta
Awards
- 1936 - Bohemia magazine awaded her recognition for her short stories.
- 1942 - Poetry prize
- 1944 - Novel National Award for Tierra Inerme
- 1961 - Casa de las Americas prize for her novel Tierra Inerme (1961).
- 1980 - Casa de las Americas prize for the children's book El valle de la pájara pinta (1979).
- 1981 - Distinction for National Culture
- 1988 - Félix Varela Order (1st grade)
- 1988 - National Prize of Literature
- 1997 - José Martí Infant Literature World Prize
- 1994 - National Prize of Novel (conferred by Education Ministry)
See also
- Cuban literature