AUTHORS OF THE WORLD TRAVEL TO THE CONCERT HALL: LEONARDO PADURA

The writer and essayist Leonardo Padura is considered today the most important author of Cuba and is among the top writers of Latin America. He was born in Havana in 1955 and continues to reside permanently in the same city. He studied Spanish philology and literature. Afterwards, he worked as a scriptwriter, journalist, and critic. He gained widespread recognition with his tetralogy of detective novels called "The Four Seasons"  (Past Perfect, Winds of Lent, Masks and Autumn landscape) , featuring the detective Mario Conde. Along the way, he created an entire series of books with the same central character, which has achieved enormous international success and currently counts nine titles.
His work has been translated into more than 20 languages and he has been honored for his work on multiple occasions, not only in his country but also abroad. Among other awards, in 2012 he was the recipient of the National Literature Award of Cuba, while in 2015 he was awarded the literary prize “Princess of Asturias Award”, an extraordinary distinction which goes beyond the borders of the Spanish-speaking world and is equivalent to the Nobel Prize.