Paco Taibo to star Casa de las Americas’ Author Week

The writer, creator of one of the most recognized characters of the detective novel universe: Héctor Belascoarán Shayne, will return to Cuba for four days to dialogue with the Cuban readers, who will have the opportunity to get close to some of his novels like Adiós, Madrid (1993), Cuatro manos (1990), La bicicleta de Leonardo (1993), El retorno de los tigres de Malasia (2010), among others. 

 Paco Ignacio Taibo II was the creator in 1988 of the multicultural festival Semana Negra de Gijón, in Gijón, Asturias (Spain), that began dedicated to the detective novel exclusively, but that has extended now to other genres like science fiction, fantasy and historic novel.

Several world famous writers have participated in this festival, among them Cuban Leonardo Padura and Lorenzo Lunar.  

His literary work does not limit to the detective genre, he has also wrote nonfiction literature:  Ernesto Guevara, también conocido como el Che (1996), Pancho Villa: una biografía narrativa (2006), El Álamo: una historia no apta para Hollywood (2011), among other volumes.

He was awarded with the 1982 Premio Grijalbo for Héroes convocados: manual para la toma del poder (1982) and three times with the Hammett Prize: 1988,  La vida misma; 1991, Cuatro manos; 1994,  La bicicleta de Leonardo.      

Every year, Casa de las Américas dedicates a cycle about the work of a famous Latin American writer to study and to debate their literary work and the Week has been previously devoted to important authors Mexicans Juan Villoro and Sergio Pitol, Chileans Diamela Eltit and Pedro Lemebel, Argentinean Ricardo Piglia and recently, Guatemalan Rodrigo Rey Rosa.

Translation: Liana Fleitas (Cubarte)