David Mitrani Arenal
David Mitrani Arenal is a Cuban writer, belonging to a generation that once was called novísimos. He has won several awards including the International Prize Anna Seghers in 1998 given it by Anna Seghers Foundation and the Academy of Arts in Berlin. In his country, he won the important Alejo Carpentier award in 2003.
Introduction
David Mitrani Arenal began to be known in the nineties with the story book Modelar el barro that had won the literary contest Pinos Nuevos one year before. Years later he published the story book Santos lugares, and the novel Ganeden. Los malditos se reúnen, winner of the literary contest Alejo Carpentier, was released in 2003 and the novel Deja dormir a la bestia in 2011. His literary work is also extended to poetry. He has published the poems book Hereje inadvertido and the book of decimas, written with the poet Alexis Diaz Pimienta, Robinson Crusoe vuelve a salvarse, winner of the literary contest Cucalambé. As researcher he has worked with the Italian philologist: Giuliana Della Valle in the field of improvised oral poetry and they have published two books: Cuba Improvvisa and Caffè diVerso.Narrative
- Modelar el barro. Havana: Letras Cubanas, 1994.
- Santos lugares. Havana: Union, 1997.
- Ganeden. Mexico City: Lectorum, 1999.
- Los malditos se reúnen. Havana: Letras Cubanas, 2003, 2nd ed. ivi 2005, 3 rd ed. Barcelona: Hiru, 2006, trans. English: Coven of the cursed. Havana, Jose Marti, 2006.
- Deja dormir a la bestia. Havana: Letras Cubanas, 2011.
Poetry
- Robinson Crusoe vuelve a salvarse. Las Tunas: San Lope, 1994.
- Heretic unnoticed. Havana: Unicorn, 2003.
Essay
- Cuba improvvisa. Anthology of Cuban "repentismo", compilation of G. Della Valle and D. Mitrani, translation by G. Della Valle, Iesa, Goree, 2006, foreword by A. Melis.
- Caffè diVerso o la poesia orale dominicana by G. Della Valle and D. Mitrani, Iesa, Goree, 2010.
Filmography
- Director and screenwriter of the documentary Cuba Improvvisa, attached to the book Cuba improvvisa, cit.
- Director and writer of the documentary Caffè diVerso, attached of the book Caffè diVerso, cit.
- Direction, script and editing of the documentary Al ritmo del socabón attached to the book "La decima nel Perú. Omaggio a Nicomedes Santa Cruz", Rome: Editoriale Artemide, 2011.
Other publications
Stories in anthologies and magazines
- «La Strada» in A labbra nude, Milan: Feltrinelli, 1995,.
- «Tu mujer» in La Gaceta de Cuba, 1995.
- «Un joven de pelo largo» in Premio Cuentos de Amor, Las Tunas: San Lope, 1996.
- «Adultere esordienti» in Cuba poi muori Vedi, Milan: Feltrinelli, 1997,.
- «1980» in Cuentos habaneros, Mexico City: Selector, 1997.
- «Un joven de pelo largo» in Cuentos habaneros, Mexico City: Selector, 1997.
- «No hay regreso para Johnny» in La Gaceta de Cuba, 1997.
- «Un joven de pelo largo» in Otra vez amor, Havana: Cuban Letters, 1997.
- «1980» in Confini. No. 7, University of Milan, in December 1999.
- «Der Lauf der Dinge» in Argonautenschiff, Jahrbuch 8, Berlin, 1999,.
- «No hay regreso para Johnny» in Cubanísimo!, Berlin: Surhkamp, 2000.
- «Pas de retour pour billet Johnny» in Des nouvelles, Paris: Metellié, 2000,.
- «No hay regreso para Johnny» in Nueva narrativa cubana, Madrid: Siruela, 2000.
- «El esclavo del pianista» in Casa de Las Américas No. 224, Havana, 2001, p. 55-62.
- «Modelar el barro» in Irreverente eros, Havana, Jose Marti, 2001.
- «Keiner kennt give Fliegenfänger» in ADAC, Berlino, 2002,.
- «Tiro de cámara» in Cicatrices en la memoria, Havana: Capitán San Luis, 2003.
- «Tiro de cámara» in Cicatrices en la memoria, Mexico City: Ocean, 2003.
- «Un joven de pelo largo» in Colinas como elefantes blancos, Havana: Extramuros, 2003.
- «Ya llegará el día del cazador» in La Jiribilla, Havana, No. 113, year III, July 4, 2003.
- «El esclavo del pianista» in La letra del escriba, Havana, 2004.
- «No turning back for Johnny» in The Cuban Reader, California, USA: Duke University Press, 2004,
- «El esclavo del pianista» in Conversaciones con el búfalo blanco. Antología y entrevistas con autores cubanos. Havana: Letras Cubanas-Monte Ávila, 2005.
- «Erezioni nel bus» in Con L'Avana nel cuore, Rome: Marco Tropea, 2005,.
- «Uno sparo dalla telecamera» in Nero and Avana. Antologia di racconti cubani contemporanei Rome: Bookever-Editori Riuniti, 2007,.
- «Vuoi che ti chiamino Gina?» in Nero and Avana. Antologia di racconti cubani Contemporanei. Rome: Bookever-Editori Riuniti, 2007,.
- «Morir es un placer» in Caminos de humo. Antología de cuentos cubanos con aroma de tobacco. Santiago de Cuba: Editorial Oriente, 2010.
Poems in anthologies and magazines
- «Algoritmo» I in Agua del ciervo que canta, Havana: Letras Cubanas, 1992.
- «Conversación con mi hijo» in La Gaveta, Pinar del Rio, 2002.
- «Épico» in La Gaveta, Pinar del Rio, 2002.
- «Acuse del soldado desconocido» in La Gaveta, Pinar del Rio, 2002.
- «Algoritmo II» in Que caí bajo la noche, Ciego de Ávila: Ávila Ediciones, 2004.
Articles and essays
- «La nueva décima cubana: novodecimismo» in La décima popular en Latinoamérica, Veracruz, Mexico: 1994.
- «Telegrama en diez líneas» in Habáname No. 1, 1997.
- «Zamora Jo y el paraíso» in La letra del escriba No. 34, November, 2004, p. 14.
- «L’elemento comico nella poesia orale cubana», in las Actas del Congreso Intrecci di culture, marginalità ed egemonia in America Latina e Mediterraneo, organizado por las Universidades de Estudios de Boloña, Cagliari y Siena, Roma, Meltemi, 2008, pp. 243–260.
- «Aproximación a la técnica poética de los repentistas cubanos» in Verba Manent. Oralità e scrittura in America Latina e nel Meditarreno, Rome: Editoriale Artemide, 2011.
Awards
- Università La Sapienza di Roma. January 2010. Is named "Cultore della materia" for "Lingua e Traduzione Spagnola" at L'Università La Sapienza di Roma.
- Order of the Ministry of Culture. Medal of the Cuban Culture In, 2004 in, 2004.
- National Award "Alejo Carpentier" for the book Los malditos se reúnen, 2003.
- International Prize "Anna Seghers" established for Anna Seghers Foundation and the Academy of Arts in Berlin, 1998.
- Diploma of the Cuban Union of Artists and Writers Highlights Young Cuban Writer, 1998.
- National Award Cuentos de Amor de Las Tunas for Un joven de pelo largo, 1996.
- Prize of Poetry "La Rambla", Almeria, Spain, for the book El arca: cinco días del diluvio, 1995.
- Prize of narrative "Pinos Nuevos" for the book Modelar el barro, 1993.
- Prize "Cucalambé" for the book, cowritten with Alexis Díaz Pimienta, Robinson Crusoe vuelve a salvarse, 1993.
- Prize 26 de Julio for the book Algo más sobre los inmortales, 1990.