# Roberto Fernández Retamar

_Cuban politician and writer (1930-2019)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/roberto-fernandez-retamar
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> Roberto Fernández Retamar was a Cuban poet, essayist, literary critic and President of the Casa de las Américas. In his role as President of the organization, Fernández also served on the Council of State of Cuba. An early close confidant of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, he was a central figure in Cuba from the 1959 Revolution until his death in 2019. Fernández also wrote over a dozen major collections of verse and founded the Casa de las Americas cultural magazine.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 9 June 1930 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1067549#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Havana ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1067549#P19))
- **Died:** 10 July 2019 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1067549#P570))
- **Place of death:** Havana ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1067549#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Cuba ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1067549#P27))
- **Occupation:** poet; essayist; literary critic; cultural activist; politician; university teacher ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1067549#P106))
- **Positions held:** president (since 1986); member of the National Assembly of People's Power ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1067549#P39))
- **Awards:** Ordre des Arts et des Lettres; National Prize for Literature ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1067549#P166))

## Questions

**When was Roberto Fernández Retamar born?**  
Roberto Fernández Retamar was born on 9 June 1930 in Havana.

**What positions has Roberto Fernández Retamar held?**  
Positions held by Roberto Fernández Retamar include: president (since 1986); member of the National Assembly of People's Power.

## Related

- [Hosni Mubarak](https://diginpl.com/people/hosni-mubarak)
- [Gamal Abdel Nasser](https://diginpl.com/people/gamal-abdel-nasser)
- [Mohamed Morsi](https://diginpl.com/people/mohamed-morsi)
- [Mohamed Naguib](https://diginpl.com/people/mohamed-naguib)
- [Abdul Rahman Arif](https://diginpl.com/people/abdul-rahman-arif)
- [Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'i](https://diginpl.com/people/muhammad-najib-ar-ruba-i)
- [Raúl Castro](https://diginpl.com/people/raul-castro)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Roberto Fernández Retamar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Fern%C3%A1ndez_Retamar) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q1067549](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1067549) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Roque Dalton and Roberto Fernández Retamar.jpg by Casa de las Américas (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roque_Dalton_and_Roberto_Fern%C3%A1ndez_Retamar.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Roberto Fernández Retamar, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Roque Dalton and Roberto Fernández Retamar.jpg — Casa de las Américas, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Roberto Fernández Retamar". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/roberto-fernandez-retamar. Retrieved 12 November 2026.