Zoé Valdés facts for kids
Zoé Valdés (born May 2, 1959, in Havana, Cuba) is a famous Cuban writer, poet, and film director. She also writes scripts for movies and shares her thoughts on a blog. Zoé Valdés studied at the Instituto Superior Pedagógico Enrique José Varona. She worked for Cuba's office at UNESCO in Paris from 1984 to 1988. Later, from 1990 to 1995, she was an editor for the magazine Cine Cubano. Today, she lives in Paris with her daughter. She has been married three times.
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Zoé Valdés' Early Life and Learning Journey
Zoé Valdés was raised by her mother. Her father left when she was young. She started writing when she was about nine or ten years old. This was thanks to her grandmother, who often read poetry to her. Her grandmother had Chinese and Irish family roots.
When Valdés was seventeen, she wrote her first collection of poems called Respuestas para vivir (1981). She published her very first poem at age 19 in El Caimán Barbudo. This was a literary magazine for young communist writers. Her first lyrical novel, Sangre Azul, came out in 1993.
Valdés was part of the first group of students who grew up with support from the Cuban Revolution. She studied at the Instituto Pedagógico Enrique Varona. She later earned a degree in Philology from the Universidad de La Habana. She continued her studies at the Alliance Francaise in Paris. From 1984 to 1988, she worked for Cuba's office at UNESCO in Paris.
After returning to Cuba, she worked as an assistant director for the magazine Cine Cubano for four years. She also started writing screenplays for the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC). In 1990, she traveled to the United States to film her script Vidas paralelas. This film project later moved to Venezuela. In 1990, she won the Primer Premio Coral for best unreleased screenplay for Vidas paralelas. This award was given at the XII Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano.
Why Zoé Valdés Left Cuba
Zoé Valdés officially left Cuba in 1994 for political reasons. She openly disagreed with the Cuban government at the time. She always hoped to change Cuba's political situation from within, using her writing. However, she started having problems with the magazine Cine Cubano and the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC).
In the 1980s, she was arrested for driving two Spanish tourists around Havana. This was because a law at the time stopped Cubans from talking to foreigners. In 1991, she won an award but refused to give it to the government as requested. She also signed a book deal for her novel La nada cotidiana with a French publisher. She did this without asking the government first.
A sad event in July 1994 made her decide to leave Cuba. This was the Tugboat "13 de Marzo" massacre. Forty-one Cubans trying to leave the country drowned at sea. In 1995, she left Cuba and moved to Paris. She went with her husband, Ricardo Vega, and her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Attys Luna.
She moved to Paris because she was invited by the Escuela Normal Superior. There, she was to give talks about romantic poetry, including the work of Jose Martí. When her first novel La nada cotidiana was published in France, she started giving interviews about her work. Because of this, the Cuban government told her she could not return to Cuba. Even though leaving was a punishment, she also saw it as a way to find freedom. She could focus on her studies and writing. In 1997, she became a Spanish citizen. After that, she was able to get French residency.
Zoé Valdés' Creative Works
Zoé Valdés has created many different types of works.
Her Poetry Collections
Valdés started her writing career as a poet. In 1982, she won the Primer Premio de Poesía Roque Dalton y Jaime Suárez Quemain. This was for her poetry collection Respuestas para vivir. Her poems often explore feelings of wanting something and how time passes. She was inspired by many famous poets.
Her second poetry collection, Todo para una sombra, won an award in Spain in 1985. She also published two other poetry books in Spain: Vagón para fumadores (1996) and Cuerdas para el lince (1999).
Her Film Work
Valdés wrote the script for Vidas paralelas (1993). This film tells the story of Andy, a man in Havana who dreams of moving to the United States. Another character, Rubén, lives in New Jersey and remembers his time in Cuba. She also wrote screenplays for Amorosa and Desequilibrio y profecia. She was the scriptwriter and co-director for the film Caricias de Oshún (2000). She worked on this film with her husband at the time, Ricardo Vega.
Her Novels
Zoé Valdés has published fifteen novels. Her books often show her views against the Castro government. They offer a critical look at Cuba. Her work has been translated into many languages, including English, German, and Italian.
Valdés' first novel, Sangre azul (1993), was written between 1987 and 1991. It was the only one of her novels published in Cuba. In this book, a young Cuban woman named Attys lives with her stepfather. Her father left when she was young. As a teenager, she falls in love with a painter named Gnossis. When Gnossis moves to Paris, she goes to find him. She doesn't find him, but she does find herself.
One of her most famous novels is La nada cotidiana. It was published in 1995 in Paris. This book was also published in many other countries. The main character, Patria (which means Homeland), is born when the Cuban Revolution begins. The wonderful future promised by the revolution turns into a difficult situation. It is full of sadness and disappointment. Patria uses her writing to find real hope.
Another one of her novels is Café nostalgia, published in 1997. It tells the story of Marcela, a woman who marries an older man to leave Cuba. The novel explores the memories and life of a woman living away from her home country. Parts of the novel are based on Valdés' own life.
Her novel Lobas de mar won the Premio Fernando Lara de Novela in 2003. This is a historical fiction novel about two female Caribbean pirates.
She has also written two books for children: Los aretes de la Luna (1999) and Luna en el cafetal (2003). These books were illustrated by artist Ramon Unzueta.
Zoé Valdés' Political Views and Online Presence
Zoé Valdés is openly against communism and the Fidel Castro government. She says she started noticing problems in Cuba when she was six years old.
She writes on a blog where she often criticizes the Cuban Revolution. She published an article in El Mundo about Fulgencio Batista. In it, she said he was an antifascist and that he started a revolution, rather than just a coup d'état. She has received a lot of criticism for her political opinions.
On social media, she supports the conservative Spanish political party Vox. This party is seen as right-wing to far-right by many experts and news outlets. Since February 2022, she has also written for La Gaceta de la Iberosfera, a newspaper linked to Vox.
She has also supported Donald Trump's re-election in the United States. In an article, she wrote, "Let us pray that Donald Trump be re-elected in the next elections on November 3th -- a patriot, a humanist, a peacemaker..."
In 2020, she signed the Madrid Charter. This was started by Santiago Abascal, the leader of Vox. Its goal is to fight communism around the world. It also aims to create a group of conservative thinkers to challenge left-wing ideas.
She has caused many discussions by writing articles that criticize other writers and public figures. These include people who also oppose the Cuban government, like blogger Yoani Sánchez and artist Tania Bruguera. She has also criticized climate activist Greta Thunberg and Spanish author Almudena Grandes.
Awards Zoé Valdés Has Won
- 1982 Premio de Poesía Roque Dalton y Jaime Suárez Quemain
- 1995 Finalista del Premio Planeta
- 1997 Premio Liberatur for La nada cotidiana
- 2003 Premio Fernando Lara for Lobas de mar
- 2004 Premio de Novela Ciudad de Torrevieja for La Eternidad del Instante
- 2013 Premio Azorín for La mujer que llora
Zoé Valdés' Books
- 2016 La noche al revés. Dos historias cubanas
- 2016 The Weeping Woman
- 2015 La Habana, mon amour
- 2013 La mujer que llora
- 2012 El ángel azul
- 2010 El todo cotidiano
- 2008 La ficción Fidel
- 2006 Bailar con la vida
- 2004 La eternidad del instante
- 2003 Lobas de mar
- 2001 Milagro en Miami
- 2000 El pie de mi padre
- 1999 Querido primer novio (English translation, Dear First Love, 2003)
- 1999 Los aretes de la luna
- 1999 Cuerdas para el lince
- 1998 Traficantes de belleza
- 1997 Café Nostalgia
- 1997 Los poemas de la Habana
- 1996 Te di la vida entera (English translation, I Gave You All I Had, 2011)
- 1996 Cólera de ángeles
- 1995 La nada cotidiana (English translation, Yocandra in the Paradise of Nada, 1999)
- 1995 La hija del embajador
- 1993 Sangre azul
- 1986 Respuestas para vivir
- 1986 Todo para una sombra
- 1986 Vagón para fumadores
Screenplays Written by Zoé Valdés
Zoé Valdés has written several scripts for films:
- Vidas paralelas, Director Pastor Vega
- Amorosa, Director Pilar Távora
- Espiral, Director Miriam Talavera
- Yalodde, Director Ricardo Vega
- Desequilibrio
- Cantata
- Profecía
See also
In Spanish: Zoé Valdés para niños
