José Antonio Portuondo Valdor

Notable professor, critic, essayist and literary historian. In his honor the Institute of Literature and Linguistics of Cuba is named after him. In 1941 he obtained a doctorate in Philosophy and Letters from the University of Havana with his thesis "Concept of poetry", published as a book in 1945, a pioneer of scientific studies of literature in Cuba. When the Revolution triumphed in 1959, he rejoined the faculty of the Universidad de Oriente, in his native city Santiago de Cuba. Throughout his life he carried out numerous academic, teaching and diplomatic responsibilities.